The City of Bulawayo’s health services department has launched a massive enforcement exercise, inspecting 1 715 premises to ensure compliance with food safety and licensing laws.
Health director Edwin Mzingwane Sibanda revealed that the sweep resulted in 66 intimations and 66 tickets being issued for various regulatory breaches.
Inspectors targeted supermarkets, butcheries, and informal traders, focusing on illegal operations and poor hygiene.
Major violations included operating without valid licenses and unsafe food preparation, such as kitchens connected directly to toilets.
A significant amount of contaminated food was condemned, including 1 500 kilogrammes of rotten elephant meat declared unfit for human consumption.
Health officials also flagged unsafe storage of re-packaged cooking oil and the presence of mould-infested products and dented canned goods.
The department responded to numerous public complaints regarding illegal butcheries and environmental pollution.
Following the ZITF 2026 monitoring, an interdepartmental blitz is now being planned to target high-density suburbs where illegal food businesses are on the rise.
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