Banned hair product confiscated
SITEKI – A banned hair product that has serious health risks on the skin, called Carotone, which is suspected to be smuggled from Mozambique, was yesterday confiscated by officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade.
They were working in conjuction with officials from the Ministry of Health, and were in the company of police officers at Mpumalanga Supermarket.
The crackdown operation on banned and spoiled products was conducted around Siteki Town.
The officials further confiscated expired consumable products such mealie-meal, spices, soft drinks, sweets, to mention a few.
Explained
A senior official in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade Sibusiso Magagula, who was in the company of seven health officials under the stewardship of Tembuso Nzalo, an Environmental Health Officer, explained to the supermarket director identified as Arkbal that the hair product was banned in the country after health experts found that it posed a danger to the skin.
Magagula further stated that it was suspected that the product was smuggled into the country from Mozambique because it had been banned from border gates connecting Eswatini, South Africa and the Portuguese-speaking nation.
He further told the supermarket owner to stop selling the hair product and ordered police officers to confiscated and load the product into boxes, to a van that was used by the officials during the crackdown.
Banned
Arkbal complied with the order and also explained that he was not aware that the product had been banned in the country, as he sourced it from suppliers.
“I wasn’t aware that the product has been condemned to be sold in shops. I got it from my suppliers,” he said.
Meanwhile, in April 2020, six grocery shops operating around the Ekupheleni area in Motshane were temporarily closed for selling expired goods.
The shops were temporarily closed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade.
The ministry was tipped-off by aggrieved residents of the area about the selling of expired goods.
The ministry’s Director for Micro-Medium
Small Enterprise (MMSE) and acting Chief Commercial Officer Mluleki Dlamini said the shops were fined for not being in compliance with the law. Their fines ranged from E300- E1 500 and were payable to the police.
In essence, the ministry accepts and addresses consumer complains for resolution. It also initiates investigations of consumer complaints. The ministry further undertakes enquiries and activities generally aimed at protecting consumer rights and advocates for consumer welfare.
It also educates stakeholders about consumer welfare and consumer rights, both in Eswatini and internationally. The ministry is further involved in international activities that provide tools on how best to ensure protection for consumers and provide a platform to cooperate with other countries regarding consumer protection.