We are sold expired stuff, alleges rural folk
MBABANE – Some rural folk have alleged that they are being sold expired stuff by some grocery shops. According to some residents, they are no longer sold fresh commodities by the shops, geographically located in various areas in the rural communities.
The types of commodities cannot be published for ethical reasons, but the residents have said it was mostly food items they usually have to buy on a daily basis.
Daniel Matsenjwa, a resident from the Lubombo Region, took Eswatini News around some of the grocery shops located at the Matsanjeni North Constituency.
Reporters from this publication discovered that there were canned food items that had already expired, but were still on the shelves in most of the shops.
“They are taking advantage of the fact that we are illiterate and without awareness here in the remote areas and then they do not remove the food stuffs which are already expired from the shelves,” alleged Matsenjwa.
Further, Matsenjwa decried the lack of consumer education among the rural folk.
Raised
Last week there was a signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Mountain View Hotel between the Eswatini Competition Commission (ECC) and the Eswatini Standards Authority (ESWASA).
According to both entities, this MoU will bolster collaborative efforts in ESWASA and ESCC learning and public awareness initiatives and ensure the application of competition and consumer principles through standardisation.
“We hope this will have an impact towards deterring the Eswatini market from providing substandard goods to the consumer. Sub- standards goods and services in Eswatini’s markets have always been a challenge, as most service providers have considered the country as a dumping ground for such goods and services, which do not meet the standards of the international markets,” highlighted ESWASA’s Priscilia Dlamini.
Meanwhile, ESCC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muzi Dlamini pointed out that both entities had a dual mandate that includes the encouragement of competition in the economy and the protection of consumer welfare.
PRotection
“As the public may be aware, competition and consumer protection are complementary in the sense that competition forces businesses to become more efficient and innovative so that they can compete favourably in the market place while providing for a wider choice of goods and services to consumers,” said the CEO.
Furthermore, Dlamini pointed out that for companies to be competitive, they did not only compete on price but also on quality.
The CEO then said soon there would be a toll free number where consumers will be able to use to report some shops who were selling them stuff which lacks quality and are also expired.
Dlamini advised customers to at least call both companies and also get more information from their social media pages.
On another note, the CEO pointed out the need for competition among companies as he said: “If you think about it, when you purchase items, you will first consider whether the product is the value for money, which is determined, not only by price, but the quality of the product. Thus, competition forces companies to produce quality products and services to attract customers and for companies to grow their business.”
Right
Furthermore, Dlamini pointed out that consumers have a right to safe and quality products that are in good working order and free from defects.
“This is why consumer protection begins with ensuring that suppliers of good services comply with the applicable standards. Therefore, quality, standards and competition go hand-in-hand and that is a reason why we have decided to strengthen our working relationship with the ESWASA in recognition of our complimentary mandates,” said Dlamini.
“The signing of the MoU between the two regulatory bodies is a sign of our respective organisations’ commitment towards ensuring that the rights of consumers are protected,” explained Dlamini.