Zimbabwean manufacturers report that fake merchandise has eroded revenues, damaged brand credibility, and compromised consumer safety across multiple industries. SeedCo agronomist Wallace Banda told a Bulawayo consumer protection forum that imitation agricultural inputs sold at reduced prices deliver poor harvests while undermining authentic seed sales through deceptive packaging that mimics licensed products.
Eversharp sales manager Julian Mbono said counterfeit writing instruments flood regional markets at quarter-price rates, costing the sole domestic pen producer substantial export income and client confidence. Treger Products marketing director Sithokozile Ndlovu described copied enamel cookware bearing replicated labels and colors that confuse buyers seeking durable household goods from the century-old firm.
Speakers urged authorities to impose harsher penalties on violators, noting lenient sanctions fail to deter repeat offenders distributing substandard items that threaten public welfare and economic growth.
Eversharp sales manager Julian Mbono said counterfeit writing instruments flood regional markets at quarter-price rates, costing the sole domestic pen producer substantial export income and client confidence. Treger Products marketing director Sithokozile Ndlovu described copied enamel cookware bearing replicated labels and colors that confuse buyers seeking durable household goods from the century-old firm.
Speakers urged authorities to impose harsher penalties on violators, noting lenient sanctions fail to deter repeat offenders distributing substandard items that threaten public welfare and economic growth.
