Zimbabwe celebrates World Consumer Rights Day amid economic hardships
By Caleb Chikwawawa
Zimbabwe held its World Consumer Rights Day commemorations on Monday amid the proliferation of cheap imported products once flagged as fake by authorities and tiny disposable incomes among the majority.
The Harare event, graced Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, was hosted by the Consumer Protection Commission.
The World Consumer Rights Day is an international event that is celebrated by countries every 15th of March.
Zimbabwe held its own celebrations on 17 March as the 15th fell on a weekend.
The event, held under the theme, “a just transition to sustainable lifestyle” also featured officials from ministries of climate and wildlife and energy, Harare city Council, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), Postal and Telecommunications Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Pomona Waste Management and many more.
Speaking at the event, Consumer Protection Commission board chair, Respina Zinyanduko emphasised the need for the holding of the day “dearly”.
“This day always occupies a special place in our hearts as it is a platform which every consumer protection throughout the world should hold so dearly as it provides us an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about consumer rights,” she said.
Zinyanduko said the theme of the celebrations this year “was carefully chosen in light of many challenges that our consumers face in the area of environmental protection”.
In his keynote address, Minister Ndlovu said that taking good care of consumers is beyond social justice and also remained key to economic growth.
“Fellow consumers, ensuring that consumers are well informed, protected and treated fairly is not only a matter of social justice but also a critical driver of sustainable economic growth by promoting transparency, accountability and ethical practices to create an environment where business can flourish and consumers can actively participate,” he said.
Recently, chief director for commerce in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Douglas Runyowa said nearly 50 percent of groceries seized from some local tuck shops and vending stalls during a recent blitz against counterfeit and smuggled goods in Zimbabwe were found to be fake and a potential health hazard.
A lot of citizens also continue to find it hard to acquire enough groceries to live decent lives in the country due to the prevailing economic hardships.
