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Councilor Reuben Matangwi addresses Tshabalala residents at a Buy Zimbabwe sensitisation programme in Bulawayo yesterday

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
LOCAL companies should use the country’s flag as a trademark for their products and consider using vernacular languages for packaging labels, consumers said yesterday.

Contributing to the on-going Buy Zimbabwe sensitisation week programme in Bulawayo, consumers said identifying local products was a hassle in shops because of poor packaging.

They said local products were outsmarted by imports, which often come with attractive packaging.

“Foreign products have trademarks. South African products for instance have a flag that can be used to identify them. Local products should also have that so that even young children can be able to identify and purchase them,” said Samukeliso Nyoni who attended yesterday’s meeting at Tshabalala Hall.

Daniel Moyo from the same suburb suggested that products be labelled in vernacular.

“Zimbabweans claim to be proud of their country. China, an economically developed nation, labels its own products in vernacular. We should also do the same, label our products in our own languages for easy identification,” he said.

Moyo also advised companies to take the campaign to schools to instill a culture of national pride through buying local goods.

“We feel that companies must also reach out to school children. Children are the future, so there is a need to make them aware that our goods are of high quality and equally important,” he said.

Another participant identified as Dlamini urged firms to recruit goodwill ambassadors who would preach the gospel of buying locally.

“People often resist change especially when you ask them to discard cheap imports. This is a process and facilitators should employ ambassadors to sensitise people beyond these meetings,” he said.

Today the campaign continues with a media tour at five companies —Lobels, PPC, Arenel, United Refineries and Ingwebu.

There will be an awards and discussion conference tomorrow at a city hotel and the campaign ends with a business exhibition on Friday.

The meetings are organised by the Buy Zimbabwe Campaign and Innotec to sensitise and raise awareness on the importance of buying and consuming locally produced goods.