Consumer protection Bill crafting overdue

Once promulgated the law would protect consumers from unscrupulous businesses or unethical business practices.
In an interview yesterday, the CCZ executive director Ms Rosemary Siyachitema said:
“As the consumer watchdog, we have expressed anxiety over delays to craft the consumer protection Bill, which will be enacted into law if approved by Cabinet. We hoped that by now the Bill could have been crafted.

“We have met the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to find out the progress about the Bill and we were told that the first stage of the drafting of the Bill was with the Attorney General’s office.”
She said last year in October stakeholders met in Harare where an urgent need for the country to come up with a law that protects consumers was highlighted.

She said it was imperative for Zimbabwe to have a consumer protection Act because the market was presently dominated by consumer rights violation, adding that because there was no such law, CCZ did not have powers to enforce businesses to adhere to consumer rights.
Industry and Commerce Minister Professor Welshman Ncube could not be reached for comment.

Ms Siyachitema said violation of consumer rights included instances where product quality did not meet the purpose which an item or service was designed for.
“Currently, there are a number of instances where consumer rights are being violated. For example, on pricing, the variations are based on distortions that are happening on the market,” she said.

She said because there was no consumer protection Act, CCZ was using persuasive means so that businesses adhere to ethical practices.
At the moment, Sadc-member states are being pushed to put in place consumer protection laws at a time when the region was moving towards the Sadc free trade zone.

In the past, Zimbabwe and some of its regional counterparts have relied upon outdated, fragmented legislation like Consumer Contract Act, Small Claims Court as well as other Acts like the Bankers, Depositors’ Protection, and Insurance which are rather silent on consumer protection.