Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter
THE Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has urged members of the public to exercise their rights and expose unethical businesses that shortchange customers.
In a recent interview in Bulawayo CCZ acting executive director, Mrs Rose Mpofu, said days were numbered for businesses that ill-treat customers, under-weigh or overcharge products for illicit gains.
She said the council was working closely with the Trade Measures Department under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, which deals with measurements such as use of scales, fuel pumps and meters.
Mrs Mpofu said the newly established Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) was established after realisation that the CCZ lacked biting power to effectively monitor and persecute dishonest businesses who cheat customers.
“The ministry is working hard to deal with unethical businesses who manipulate scales or meters so as to cheat customers. As the CCZ, we are working with the Trade Measures Department and together we move around checking if there are fair measurements and if we find out that there is a problem, the law takes its course,” she said.
Mrs Mpofu encouraged customers to exercise their rights by checking on products sold to them and re-weighing them once in a while to see if they are not being cheated.
She said supporting regulations, which will help the commission to penalise unethical businesses, were being fine-tuned.
The CPC was one of the key Government agencies that exhibited their services during the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
Commenting, Trade Measures regional inspector for Manicaland, Mr Farai Taruwona, said they were geared to ensure protection of consumers from unethical business practices.
“We protect consumers from illegal deals as we move around checking the machines used by businesses to measure goods sold to consumers,” he said.
“By so doing, those who tamper with the machines are prosecuted because as the department we have our own regulations that allow us to exercise power over illegal measurements,” said Mr Taruwona.
“Trade Measures have an act, which is one of the instruments that assist the ministry to meet one of its key result areas of consumer protection.”
The official said businesses usually tamper with measurements during times of shortages in a bid to maximise profits. — @SikhulekelaniM1
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