STANDARDS Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) chairman Trust Chikohora says his organisation and the Industry and Commerce ministry would soon introduce legislation to ensure all imports and exports were subjected to compulsory quality tests before being released onto the market. Report by Own Correspondent
Addressing various stakeholders during commemoration of World Standards Day at a Bulawayo hotel last Friday, Chikohora said the law would be enacted soon to monitor international trading.
“The enactment of the law is expected to protect consumers and the local industry against unfair competition from bogus products manufactured by outside players,” he said.
“The increased complaints from consumers about the harmful products from other countries have led to the idea of enacting a law over which we are in dialogue with the authorities. There must be a legislation passed in Zimbabwe to test essential categories including food and appliances products that have been identified so that products that come into Zimbabwe from other countries are tested to find out whether they meet international standards.”
He said imports of cheap and sub-standard products had choked the local manufacturing industry and exposed consumers to harmful products.
Speaking at the same function, SAZ operations director Cyril Siringwani urged companies to acquire SAZ certification to enable their products to gain international recognition.
“ISO-certified companies are doing well. SAZ can provide companies with a quality management tool in the form of ISO 9001 and 2008 of Quality Management System. You cannot be in business without implementing a quality management system,” Siringwani said.
