THERE has been a public outcry against local water bottlers following an investigative report published by NewsDay on Saturday exposing unscrupulous bottlers selling contaminated water to unsuspecting consumers.
Report by Senior Reporter
Medical experts said some micro-biological and chemical components that were found in some of the water samples examined by the Government Analyst Laboratory could cause abdominal pains, vomiting and diarrhoea.
NewsDay readers who responded to the issue through the paper’s website and Facebook page expressed disgust over the poor quality of bottled water.
“This is just criminal, period. Only those that have the capacity to produce safe water must be allowed to operate. All others must try selling cabbages and tomatoes,” wrote Emmanuel.
Anotidaishe Shonhiwa decried the lack of standards for bottled water in the country saying the public should have been alerted a long time ago.
“Does the country even have bottled water standards? Or is there an authority whose primary job is to check for the safety of this water?” Shonhiwa queried.
David Kasiyamhuka said the results were not surprising as some businesspeople were out to make money regardless of the cost.
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“Numerous unscrupulous Zimbabwean businesspersons would sell any other sub-standard product for a quick buck as long as they can bribe their way out of trouble! This water thing is only a tip of the iceberg in the food and beverages industry,” he said.
Chengetai Gurupira Mutseyekwa said the media should continue to expose such scandals: “We need more media ‘noise’ like this for authorities to act and remove unsafe water off shop shelves immediately and wake Harare City Council from its slumber.”
Thabani Maphosa suggested that some bottlers could be paying off the authorities for their water to be cleared for sale. The laboratory tests condemned Century and Ad Life brands, but their bottlers have been cleared by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ).
“Nepotism and greed have eradicated standards and professionalism. The bad part is that we are all suffering the consequences,” he said.
Bainos Machingura concurred, saying some of the water companies whose brands were condemned had departments responsible for ensuring water quality.
“It boggles one’s mind in the sense that these institutions have quality control departments that okay such products,” he said.
Century Ice director Tim Chiganze said the water industry was “not an easy area” because purified water could be contaminated at the source, through pipes and packaging.
“There is obviously need for improvement. There is a growing market because there are over 60 companies bottling water so you can see everyone is interested in bottled water. The demand is high because the municipality is not providing safe water, so it’s not an easy area,” he said.
He admitted that most of the preferred brands of bottled water sold in Zimbabwe were imported from South Africa because there was little trust for locally produced water.
