The Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has condemned the move by the Zambia Metrology Agency – ZMA to withhold the names of the five (5) companies that were found wanting after inspection in the first half of 2022, accusing the government body of abetting wrong doing.
Association Executive Secretary Juba Sakala said Zambian consumers deserve to know what products have been found wanting so that as to inform their future buying decisions. There is need for the market to be informed and companies found wanting to be fined or punished.
In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Sakala stated that the association will compel Zambia Metrology Agency-ZMA to reveal the five companies so as to know which products on the market have been found underweight.
He said this is one way of protecting consumers by disclosing who and what was found faulty because consumer need to get value for their money. They also need to be compensated were it can be proved that they have not received the right value.
Sakala further added that, it is the consumer’s right to know the findings of Zambia Metrology Agency-ZMA, they are funded by tax payers money, hence it is just proper to disclose such information to the public.
He stated that disclosure of these companies will expose the types of products on the market, the giving of half-baked information is not fair on the consumer side. ZMA needs to know that it’s working for the Zambian public and not special interests.
Zambia Metrology Agency shielded and refused to name five (5) companies that were found wanting for the first list of 2022. But the agency was then accused of playing double standards after they had named Africa and Nyimba Milling, but refused to disclose the other five companies.
