The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has disclosed that it has gone ahead and undertaken a countrywide survey to check and confirm whether the three cement companies ordered to revert to pre-cartel prices have obliged.
This is despite the cement firms confirming separately that they have not reduced their cement prices and instead appealed the decision to the competition tribunal, exercising their legal options,
But CCPC Senior Public Relations Officer Namukolo Kasumpa said once the compilation of the information collected from all the provincial headquarters is done, the commission will then advise on the next course of action
According to information made available to the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Kasumpa said the deadline that was set by the board for the cement companies to reduce prices was 8 May, which has since elapsed.
She noted that the three companies namely, Lafarge Zambia Plc, Mpande Limestone Limited-Sinoma and Dangote Cement Zambia Limited were ordered to revert to the pre-cartel factory prices by 8 May this year.
A check done by ZBT with the top cement firms confirmed that non of them had reduced their prices, with the firms confirming that they have proceeded to appeal the order. What is most shocking is that CCPC has gone ahead to collect evidence that the prices have not been reduced.
CCPC has since stated that they will soon be making their stance known on the way forward. Consumers had been eagerly waiting for the reduction to take effect but analyst say this matter is likely to end in a long protracted legal battle.
