Zimpapers Logo

Minister Bimha

Lovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha says the government is in the process of reviewing the Trade Measures Act, which will be used as a tool to protect consumers and enhance accurate and legal product packaging within the country’s borders.In a speech read on his behalf by the head of trade measures directorate in the ministry, Enock Magaisa, Minister Bimha said the new law would ensure that the country aligns its trade measures with the approved regional and international standards.

He said the regional body “has proposed a draft legal metrology model law, which seeks to facilitate and assist member states to develop their local laws to meet international standards.

“As I said earlier on, it’s in line with this development that my ministry is reviewing the Trade Measures Act Chapter 14:23, which was last reviewed in 1996 and replace it with the Legal Metrology Act. Stakeholders could be wondering why this repeal is necessary. The Trade Measures Act 14:23 is one of the instruments, which assists the ministry to meet one of its key result areas of consumer protection among others,” said Minister Bimha.

“In Zimbabwe the trade measures programmes have been such that, we were largely confined to length, mass and volume measurements yet on the international arena, the functions of similar organisations, which subscribe to legal metrology, have a broader perspective.”

Under legal metrology, the trade measures’ functions will be extended to ensure protection of society in trade, health, safety and environment where the accuracy of measuring instruments is requisite, he added.

Bimha said the law will empower the ministry to be the custodian of measurement standards that can be traceable to international standards.

He said the country has made strides in harmonising its legislation with the Sadc Trade Protocol, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to which it is a signatory.

“We’re therefore required to harmonise our legislation within Sadc to eliminate technical barriers to trade. In addition Sadc is expected to align the same legislation to international standards through  the International Organisation for Legal Metrology (OIML), of which Zimbabwe is a signatory. OIML is an inter-governmental organisation responsible for worldwide legal metrology programmes and we’re in the process of upgrading our membership to full membership of this strategic organisation. The process towards harmonisation has since started and is progressing well,” said the minister.

There has been a call by industrialists to monitor and regulate imported products in light of the influx of sub-standard goods passing through the country’s borders, which have been described in some circles as “dumping”.

The cheap imports have also been blamed for stifling the viability of the local industry and increasing the trade deficit.

The proposed law seeks to reverse the trend.