Talc-containing J&J banned in some countries Talc can cause ovarian, lung cancer
the national election process. 8pon scrutiny and consultations, all the af fected voters subsequently appeared in the correct voter’s roll. After the val idation and verification e[ercise, the commission then update the register and prepare a final voter’s roll for use in the nomi nation, primary and sec ondary elections. &opies of the voter’s roll would also be made available on request to the public and also through the digital platforms.
UPDATED
3olling divisions should have an updated commu nity profile to assist in the validation of the voter’s roll.
It was observed in that the period for valida tion needed to be reviewed as processing of validation forms and giving feedbacN to the electorate was not sufficient. 7he appoint ment of a validation tasN team by the commission was applauded.
+owever, it was recom mended that 5egistration 6upervisors should con tinue and lead the valida tion e[ercise. It was also suggested that they should form regional tasN teams and commence duty im mediately after the regis tration e[ercise.
In , - - announced that it would stop selling its talc based baby powder in the 8nited 6tates and &anada, because demand had fallen in the waNe of what it called ‘misinformation’ about the product’s safety amid a barrage of legal challenges.
'espite the cracN down on the powder which has been removed from supermarNets around the world, talc based -ohnson -ohnson’s (- -) baby powder is being sold in the country.
It is available in most shops that sell baby powder in the country. A visit to some of the shops found that the product was being sold around several shops.
6ome of the shop attendants who were interviewed said they were not aware that the product had been banned. 7hey said the product was one of the top sellers for moth ers who preferred it, as they claimed that it prevented babies’ bacNs from developing nappy rash.
In other countries, cornstarch based baby powder is sold instead. 7his is said to be safer for children than the one in which talc it had a right to intervene and protect members of the public in the event that there was evidence of wrong doing by any individual or entity.
7he &%(, said 0amogobo, also had a right in terms of 6ection
( ) (d) of the &onstitution of the .ingdom of (swatini, which empowers it to supervise the op erations of financial institutions in the Ningdom.
6he informed the court that liNe all pyramid schemes, there was real danger that the deposits made by unsuspecting members of the public may in fact be lost.
TECHNOLOGY
7he use of technology such as short code mes saging and websites for self validation by regis trants was also part of the recommendations from the elections report. It was further suggested that for self verification purposes, a mobile app should be developed that would download a regis trants’ voter profile with their photo.
Another recommenda tion was that the valida tion, processing of forms and giving feedbacN on results of voter validation bacN to the concerned vot ers should be done early.
Act provides that a person shall not provide, purport to provide or hold himself or herself out as being able or authorised to provide financial services in (swatini unless such person is permitted under the Act. 7he respondents are taNing deposits in violation of this provision.´
7he &(%, according to 0amog obo, as a regulator of financial in stitutions in the country, has a right in law to curb any illegal activities carried on by unregistered entities and individuals within the bounda ries of the Ningdom.
6he pointed out that the alleged promoters and 4= Asset 0anage ment were not registered either as a financial institution under the FIA or a financial services provider under the F65A Act.
³7he receipt of huge amounts of money from individual members of the public by the first to the ninth respondents is unlawful. 7he applicant would not permit a situation wherein the first to the ninth respondents would be able to receive monies for whatever purpose without full disclosure and compliance with the law. 7he conduct of the first to the ninth re spondent constitutes a breach of the anti money laundering legislation.´
6he submitted that in terms of the powers vested in the &%(,
MBABANE – If there is one sound mothers of infants hate, is that of whee]ing. 7his is a high pitched sound made while breathing and it means the airway is partly blocNed. It could be because of allergic re actions, colds, bronchitis or other allergies. +owever, it could also be caused by a com pound contained in -ohnson’s baby powder.
7he popular powder contains a compound called talcum, also Nnown as talc. 7his is a naturally occurring mineral, mined from the earth, composed of magnesium, silicon, o[ygen, and hydrogen. In powdered form, talc is often combined with corn starch and used as baby powder. In 1orth America, talc based products are no longer sold.
7he baby powder is popular for parents who have infant children as it is ideal as a drying agent after bathing. It is also often used on children who use nappies, to pre vent sNin burn.
While it qualifies as a ‘lifesaver’, there are reports that the product could cause cancer and other ailments such as difficulty in breathing, asthma, pneumonia, or even death.
According to a recent report carried out by &11, talc based baby powder is no longer sold in the 86.
PROMOTERS
6he said the money was being channelled out of the country to un Nnown destinations and in the event that money was not to be repaid, the members of the public would have no recourse because the promoters were not regulated.
7he &%( was represented by (mmanuel 6habangu of 5obison %ertram in the matter, which will return to court on -une , , when the respondents are to show cause why the interim order should not be made final.
/ast weeN, the *overnor of the &%(, 'r 3hil 0nisi issued an order to cease and desist to the promoters of the alleged pyramid scheme.
CRACK-DOWN
is used as a base.
1oteworthy, baby powder is not the only product which is said to have talc and that this could cause cancer. 2ther cosmetics by the same company are also believed to cause cancer.
CONTAMINATED
7he 0inister of +ealth /i]]ie 1Nosi when sought for comment said she would need to checN with the pharmacy team.
In her response later, she the team had noted that the company would remove all its products with talc from . 7hey stated that the powder that had been contaminated with asbestos and could cause cancer.
³7he story is still developing, and we are watching out for news and official an nouncement, particularly from regulatory authorities,´ said the 0inister.
ORDER TO CEASE AND DESIST
The Central Bank of Eswatini (the bank) is authorised to issue an Order to Cease and Desist to any person it has reason to believe is conducting banking business and/or deposit-taking business without a license or authorization under the provisions of the Financial Institutions Act No. 6, 2005 (herein ‘the FIA’).
It has come to the attention of the Bank that you are engaging in what appears to be banking business without a license and/or Illegal Deposit-Taking and;
According to facts at the disposal of the bank you individually and/or jointly acted in concert in conducting unauthorised banking business and/or illegal deposit-taking business with members of the public. The Bank has reasonable grounds to believe that your activities amount to a banking business and/or deposit-taking business, for which you are required to be licensed as a financial institution in terms of section 6, or as an agent in terms of section 17 of the FIA to conduct same.
Kindly note that undertaking a banking business and/or deposit taking activities without a requisite license may attract a criminal conviction, fine and administrative penalties.
Pursuant to section 8 (1) (a) and (b) as read together with section 9 of the FIA, the Bank issues the following order:
That you immediately cease and desist from carrying on banking business, deposit-taking business and/or incidental activities in Eswatini without a license and/or authorisation.
That you submit to the Central Bank, in writing, all documents and any information concerning your business activities as outlined above, within twenty-one (21) days from date of receipt of this Order, provided that the Bank may, in its discretion, grant written extensions of time to yourselves to comply with the provisions of this requirement.