Chronicle Editor
Senior Business Writer
THE Consumer Protection Commission has put on notice business entities, especially fuel traders and some retail players who typically deal strictly in foreign currency and operate without Point-of-Sale machines.
Members of the public have since been urged to report such businesses that refuse to allow swiping for their goods and services.
Furthermore, members of the public have made several calls to the Government to ensure that the ZWG, which came into circulation in April this year, is accepted across the board.
It has now become a common trend for some businesses to deliberately frustrate the use of local currency, claiming network connectivity challenges.
Where it is accepted, businesses fleece consumers by using black market exchange rates. Backed mainly by gold and other precious minerals as well as forex reserves, the ZWG is a successor to the Zimbabwe dollar, and its success is expected to anchor the de-dollarisation roadmap.
In a statement, the commission noted with concern the practice by some unscrupulous businesses which were operating without point-of-sale machines in clear violation of the laws of the country and infringing consumers’ right to choose when carrying out their daily transactions.
Citing the Consumer Protection Act Section 51 (h), it said businesses were prohibited from engaging in any unfair trade practices, which include, but were not limited to violating consumers’ right to choose.
“To protect consumers from unfair business practices, the Consumer Protection Commission is carrying out an enforcement blitz, starting with the fuel retail industry where several service stations have been found wanting and issued with compliance notices by the commission in line with Section 68 of the Act,” reads the statement.
“The commission found out that out of the 27 service stations inspected, 80 percent of them did not have point-of-sale machines.”
The Commission said the enforcement blitz was being extended to all businesses so that they comply with provisions of the law.
It warned that businesses found not to be complying will be penalised in line with the requirements of the law and appealed to members of the public to assist the commission by reporting businesses not giving consumers the option of swiping for their goods and services through hot line numbers.
During last week’s post Cabinet briefing on the adopted Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan: 2024-2025 (ZIRGP), Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said in view of the fact that Zimbabwe’s economy has an informal sector, measures will be implemented to promote electronic transactions and the development of the Small to Medium Enterprises Formalisation Strategy.
“It will then be compulsory for all businesses to use Point of Sale (POS) machines,” he said.
ZIRGP serves as a transitional framework for aligning industrial policy with National Development Strategy 2 (2026-2030), following the lapse of the Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy: 2019-2023 in December 2023.
The plan will address immediate challenges faced by the manufacturing and commercial sectors, while laying a solid foundation for accelerated industrial development under Zimbabwe National Industrial Development Policy to achieve Vision 2030 aspirations.
Recently, Industry and Commerce Minister, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, said from January next year, every business is expected to have a POS machine.
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