By Pemphero Malimba:
Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has warned against the use and sale of uncertified safety matches across the country.
This is contained in a statement which the bureau released recently, signed by its director general Bernard Thole.
Thole said the bureau’s assessment established that some traders are illegally importing safety matches such as Paka, Tinga, Kasuku, Mo and Soccer from neighbouring countries.
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He emphasised that such products are not certified and safe for use in the country.
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“We advise Malawians and shop owners to refrain from buying and using the said type of matches and let business operators be warned that they must follow proper procedures before importing products into the country,” Thole said.
In an interview, MBS Communications Officer Wazamazama Katatu said the bureau would continue to scale up efforts in enforcing its regulatory mandate alongside other relevant institutions.
“All institutions operating in formal sectors of the economy should take compliance to relevant standards seriously. The MBS has a fundamental role for Malawi to realise the Malawi 2063. We need a well sanitised and quality conscious economic formal sector ecosystem.
But in a separate interview, Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) Executive Director John Kapito challenged the bureau to put up measures that will help protect consumers from uncertified goods on the market.
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“What remedies should consumers expect to receive after purchase of such substandard products? We want MBS to address the challenges faced by consumers after such warnings. We don’t want to see warning or product recalls that are only meant to trigger corruption between the producers and MBS inspectors without benefiting consumers,” Kapito said.
He added that MBS should enhance efforts to make such communication available to many people to ensure that they should not continue using uncertified matches.
“The warning is welcome and that should be encouraged from MBS, Kapito said.
