Standards Agency seizes products valued at K490,000 for being put on sales illegally

Assorted products worth about K490, 000 have been quarantined in three provinces by the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) for being on the market without consent from the Authority.

The affected provinces are Copperbelt, North-Western and Luapula.

Brian Hatyoka, ZCSA Head of Communications, in a statement issued on Sunday named quarantined products as fruit flavoured drinks, opaque beer, potable spirits, mealie meal, bottled drinking water, among other products valued at K489, 050.62.

Hatyoka said these products were quarantined last week during market surveillance inspections aimed at ensuring continued compliance with Compulsory Standards.

“In Ndola, 9,984 bottles of bottled drinking water, 1, 751 bottles of potable spirits, 146 bottles of Fruit flavoured drinks and 267 crates of opaque beer were seized from different locations. In Solwezi, 2, 285 bottles of potable spirits were quarantined namely Gilberts Gin, Kremlin Vodka, Vintage Gold Superior, Three Growns and Sundowner.

“In Kitwe, 556 bags of mealie meal were quarantined while 105 bottles of Gilberts Gin, Kremlin Vodka, Vintage Gold Superior, Three Growns, Sundowner were quarantined in Mansa,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hatyoka said the Agency had seized six bales of used textile products containing undergarments in Lusaka Province valued at K30, 000.

This happened on July 19, 2023 as ZCSA officers were conducting their routine inspections in Makeni and Chawama Townships of Lusaka.

He explained that ZCSA officers came across a light truck offloading bales of used textile products along a certain road in Chawama.

At that point, he further explained, the officers got interested and proceeded to verify what was contained in the bales.

According to Hatyoka, upon noticing that the ZCSA vehicle had parked few metres in front, the driver of a small truck which was offloading bales sped off leaving 13 bales along the road.

“As ZCSA officers approached the scene, a lady and two gentlemen who were standing by the bales, supposedly owners of the bales, ran away into the crowded market. The inspection was carried out and only six out of 13 bales were found to contain used undergarments.

“People around the scene could not help to identify the owners of the bales but ZCSA officers proceeded to withdraw the six bales as required by the Compulsory Standard Zambian Standard (ZS) 559: Inspection and Acceptance Criteria for Used Textile Products,” he said.

ZS 559 prohibits the importation and sale of used textile products containing used undergarments such as pyjamas, night gowns, pants, brassieres, camisoles and vests, among others.

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