These dangerous goods can cause foodborne illnesses, allergic reactions, and long-term health issues.

Small retail shops in Mbare and downtown Harare are hubs for repackaging substandard goods.

Low-grade rice is being rebranded as premium Mahatma rice, and counterfeit Mazoe orange juice from Zambia is widely available.

Responding to questions from The Sunday Mail, CPC research and public affairs manager Kudakwashe Mudereri said:

The commission took part in market surveillance and intelligence gathering ahead of an anticipated anti-smuggling blitz.

The commission focused on the proliferation of smuggled, counterfeits and substandard products in the market. It was noted that the market is flooded with products from Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique.

The products included soft drinks, sugar, flour, infant formula, detergents… The commission has also noted that there is an increase in the availability of smuggled, counterfeit and substandard electrical gadgets, gas tanks and solar panels in the market.

These products often contain harmful substances, including toxic additives, pathogens and spoiled ingredients, which can lead to severe health issues such as food-borne illnesses, allergic reactions and long-term chronic conditions.

Mudereri said the counterfeit goods not only undermined local industries, resulting in revenue losses and job cuts within sectors such as agriculture and retail, but also eroded consumer trust, destabilised the market and jeopardised the community’s well-being. He said:

The practice of selling counterfeit/fake products is more prevalent in Mbare and other hotspot areas, where various products are being repackaged using wrong packaging, thereby deceiving and short-changing unsuspecting consumers.

Some of the products which were allegedly being repackaged were rice, wherein these unscrupulous individuals took low-grade or substandard rice and repackaged it as Mahatma rice…

Selling of smuggled goods such as Coke soft drinks, Powerplus drinks, Mazoe Orange Crush, and Lactogen, which are being smuggled from Mozambique and Botswana, is very common in downtown tuckshops.

Tuckshops selling these products are suspected of being owned by foreigners from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia; therefore, there is a need for further investigations by the Immigration Department of Zimbabwe.

Mazoe from Zambia; sugar from Malawi; makanyanisi, Castle Lite, Detroit, Corona, Bahama, Hunters, Mayfair and Cremora from South Africa; Cerevita and Impilo mealie meal from DRC; Minute Maid from Zambia have also been observed to be flooding Zimbabwean markets.

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