Most Zimbabwean products not SAZ certified

The majority of companies in Zimbabwe produce substandard goods as a result of cutting corners to reduce production costs which are driven by the liquidity squeeze that the country is experiencing.

Standards Association of Zimbabwe executive director Eve Gadzikwa said most local companies set their own measurements for quality without necessarily comparing with any prescribed standards.  

Gadzikwa said SAZ could not force companies to comply with its standards since it was not compulsory.

The lack of standardisation has seen Zimbabwe becoming a net importer due to the low prices of imported goods most of which are of poor quality as they are produced on a mass scale in their countries of origin.

Although she could not readily provide the number of companies that were not standardised, Gadzikwa said only a few were certified while the majority shunned the process.