Online Reporter
Judith Phiri, Zimpapers Business Hub
The Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED) has sounded the alarm over the rise in counterfeit motor vehicle spare parts and maintenance products, calling on the public to use suppliers registered with the Motor Industry Association of Zimbabwe (MIAZ).
Recently, law enforcement authorities pounced on auto spare parts distributors and arrested some for supplying fake brake fluids and prime bond silicone.
Speaking in a panel discussion at the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Praz) 4th Annual Public Procurement Symposium in Bulawayo on Tuesday, CMED Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Dr Zebediah Chitanha, called on the public to use registered suppliers.
“There is a need to check the supply chain from where the service providers of motor vehicle spare parts and maintenance products are sourcing their goods. You may find yourselves buying from those small shops, with some having recently been found to be selling counterfeit products.
“When you buy fake brake fluids, it means that at the speeds at which you travel, the brakes will not function correctly when you try to stop the vehicle. So, it is my plea that we work together to verify the suppliers and ensure that they are registered with MIAZ,” he said.
He said those selling the counterfeit products were using branding and packaging similar to the authentic products, making it critical to differentiate between the two. Dr Chitanha added that registered suppliers offered after-market services for maintaining vehicle performance and ensuring safety.
“My recommendation is that even for the service and maintenance of your vehicles, use registered places. We are also a member of MIAZ and we ought to verify that when we procure vehicle spares, repairs and maintenance, that way we would have done due diligence.”
Echoing the same sentiments, MIAZ vice-president, Mr Luckson Gwara, said some fake products were easily identifiable because they were not branded.
“Registered suppliers provide after-market services and the products they use are branded. When we talk of counterfeit, there is a ball joint in a box, all it has is a small number which says it fits on that car, and nothing else. You cannot tell who made it and where it comes from; it has got no guarantee,” he said.
He called on the public to deal with their registered members because, as an association, if there are issues of quality, they sit as a technical committee and ensure their member fixes what the client is complaining about. Mr Gwara said with registered suppliers there was a fall-back position, as all their members were not fly-by-night operations.
“If these members break our code of ethics, they stop being a member, and when we publish the membership list they are not there anymore. We inspect our members’ premises to ensure they are providing the approved motor vehicle spare parts and maintenance products.”
He commended most local authorities who contact them when dealing with some suppliers to verify if they are authentic. Mr Gwara pleaded with procuring entities to ensure they deal with registered suppliers when acquiring vehicles to avoid being short-changed.
“Those who fail to deliver ultimately come and say they will provide you with the car in the next month, and maybe a dealer of the same model is telling you it will only come in three months. I want to advise you, it is better to wait and get the right thing than to be quick, then you end up grounding the car; you would have wasted money,” he added.
“When buying new vehicles, old dealers have got proper equipment and software. Most vehicles are now coming with a lot of electronics and artificial intelligence (AI), with some being self-driving and having all sorts of equipment fitted onto them.”
