Stopping the Harm Before It Happens
By Francis Maingaila ♥️
Lusaka, Zambia24 --- (21-12-2025) -- For many years, unsafe food, counterfeit electrical appliances, contaminated cosmetics, used motor vehicles, and substandard construction materials quietly infiltrated Zambia’s markets.
Many of these products reached consumers who had no way of detecting hidden dangers concealed behind low prices and convincing packaging.
Today, a growing share of such goods is intercepted before reaching store shelves, thanks to an enforcement system that largely operates out of public view.
In 2023, the Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA) conducted open market surveillance across six provinces, inspecting 2,540 outlets and withdrawing non-compliant products worth K271,266. Compliance rose to 89 percent, up from 85 percent in 2022.
At the centre of this work is ZCSA, whose inspectors, laboratory scientists and engineers increasingly rely on intelligence-driven investigations to stop dangerous products before they cause harm.
Recent data shows a steady rise in seizures, interceptions and prosecutions, reflecting a shift from reactive inspections to proactive market oversight.
Between February and May 2025, ZCSA seized more than 1,000 non-compliant products valued at about K30 million across four provinces, including foodstuffs and electrical items.
ZCSA Executive Director Gerald Chizinga said the stakes have never been higher.
“The volume and variety of goods entering our market has grown significantly. Even slight lapses in enforcement expose families to products that can injure, poison or even kill. Our work focuses on prevention, not reaction,” he said.
Public health experts say the dangers ZCSA confronts are real and often affect vulnerable communities first.
Contaminated food and unsafe consumer products disproportionately affect low-income households in Zambia, where limited access to alternatives increases exposure.
Similar risks were highlighted during regional public health challenges, including mpox cases linked to cross-border trade in 2024.
ZCSA records indicate that between 2023 and 2025, inspectors intercepted and destroyed non-compliant goods nationwide.
Laboratory reports, seizure notices and destruction certificates span Lusaka, Copperbelt, Northern and Eastern provinces, with routine enforcement in areas such as Rufunsa, Kamwala, Makeni, Chaisa and Chinika.
Foodstuffs, electrical products, used textiles, cosmetics and agro-inputs were identified as the most hazardous categories.
One notable case emerged in late 2023 when farmers reported that fertiliser purchased from licensed agro-dealers failed to deliver expected results.
Weeks after planting, maize crops turned yellow, and fertiliser granules dissolved unevenly. In October 2023, ZCSA quarantined adulterated fertiliser bags in Copperbelt and Northern provinces following reports of illegal repackaging with unknown substances, in violation of standards such as ZS 605 for urea fertiliser.
“I spent my savings on fertiliser, but my crops stalled,” said Mary Muzwenga, a small-scale farmer in Rufunsa. “When ZCSA tested it, we realised the problem wasn’t the soil—it was the fertiliser.”
Investigations revealed that some fertiliser had been diluted with unidentified fillers in small-scale repackaging operations, likely intended to extend supply and maximise profits.
Laboratory analysis confirmed the products failed to meet Zambian Standard ZS 327 for blended fertilisers.
“If that fertiliser had reached farmers, it could have caused major crop losses and household hunger,” one inspector said.
ZCSA quarantined the affected stock and expanded inspections across agro-dealers, increasing checks by more than a third in subsequent months.
Warning notices were issued to multiple traders, though attempts to reach suppliers for comment were unsuccessful.
Similar cases in Eastern Province have reduced yields for smallholders, mirroring challenges in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where poor-quality inputs continue to undermine food security.
Another intelligence-led operation uncovered a trade in used undergarments, banned under Zambian Standard ZS 559 due to health risks.
In 2023 alone, ZCSA seized more than 40 bales valued at K180,000. The largest seizure, in Rufunsa, involved 69 boxes concealed beneath legal second-hand clothing.
Inspectors observed that some traders deliberately mixed banned items with lawful stock to evade detection.
Additional seizures worth over K20,000 were recorded in Lusaka and Monze in 2025.
ZCSA Manager for Communications and Public Relations Brian Hatyoka warned of the public health implications.
“Used undergarments can carry bacteria, fungi and parasites. When these items reach informal markets, low-income communities are the most exposed. Removing them is both enforcement and public health protection,” he said.
A Lusaka resident, Felix Musonda, said he stopped buying second-hand clothing after developing a persistent skin infection.
“I had no idea some items were hazardous. If ZCSA hadn’t intervened, many of us would still be buying them,” he said.
Between 2023 and 2024, ZCSA complemented enforcement with public education through radio and television programmes on textile safety. Compliance in the sector improved from 85 percent to 89 percent.
In early 2025, ZCSA launched a nationwide crackdown on contaminated food and beverages.
Undercover inspectors discreetly purchased products from markets in Kamwala, Chaisa, Makeni, Chinika and Rufunsa for laboratory testing.
Analysis revealed bottled water and flavoured drinks contaminated with harmful microbes, expired condoms, substandard cooking oil and unsafe preservative levels.
Contaminated water products were also seized on the Copperbelt in May 2025. In one Lusaka case alone, goods worth K520,357 were publicly destroyed.
“This sends a clear message: once a product fails, it will not return to the market. Profit cannot take precedence over human life,” Hatyoka said.
ZCSA’s mandate extends beyond Zambia’s borders. The agency enforces Zambian Standard ZS 560 through pre-shipment inspections of used motor vehicles in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Records from 2023 show increased attempts to ship accident-damaged or poorly repaired vehicles, some sourced from scrapyards and others with manipulated mileage or concealed structural defects.
Inspections are also conducted in South Africa, Singapore and the United States, with penalties imposed for non-compliance.
“Many cars look fine on the surface,” one inspector said.
“But once you inspect the chassis or emissions, the danger becomes clear. Allowing them onto our roads would likely cause accidents.”
According to Hatyoka, regulation of used vehicles protects public safety, health and the environment. Inspections are conducted by internationally accredited agents before shipment, disputes are resolved before litigation, and compliance currently stands at 95 percent.
ZCSA now regulates 102 imported and locally manufactured products under compulsory standards.
Several unsafe vehicle shipments were blocked before departure, preventing potential accidents and saving importers significant repair costs.
The expansion from 61 to 102 standards, effected through Statutory Instrument No. 20 of 2025, covers additional items such as household chemicals and construction materials.
In 2022, the agency also addressed border delays by identifying manual paperwork and duplicated clearance processes as major bottlenecks.
Integration with the Zambia Electronic Single Window and the Government Service Bus reduced clearance times and document manipulation, earning ZCSA second place for Most e-Transformed Institution at the 2023 African Public Service Day.
Hatyoka said enforcement alone is insufficient.
“Every investigation exposes system weaknesses. We use that knowledge to train businesses, raise standards awareness and prevent future violations,” he said.
In 2025, ZCSA registered 39 food producers and trained more than 40 cooperatives and small and medium enterprises under the Lobito Corridor Project.
Follow-up assessments showed improved labelling, hygiene and compliance. Training focused on agricultural SMEs in North-Western Province districts such as Solwezi, Mwinilunga and Kabompo, supporting trade with Angola and the DRC.
One Lusaka manufacturer reduced its defect rate by 25 percent after adopting ZCSA’s recommended quality-control systems.
Despite progress, consumer advocates say gaps remain.
Slow prosecutions, limited penalties for repeat offenders and coordination challenges among border agencies continue to weaken deterrence.
“The progress is encouraging, but sustainable results require permanently closing loopholes,” said consumer rights representative Aaron Kamuti.
This investigation, conducted over six months, reviewed laboratory reports, seizure records, undercover market visits and interviews with ZCSA officials, inspectors, farmers, consumers and independent experts.
For the public, many of ZCSA’s interventions remain unseen by design. “If we do our job properly, people never experience the danger,” one inspector said. “The harm is prevented before it happens.”
ZCSA measures success not in publicity, but in outcomes. Every seized consignment began with a complaint, tip-off or suspicious observation, and every destroyed product represents a risk that never materialised.
As Zambia’s markets expand, the challenge is not whether standards enforcement is necessary, but whether it can keep pace with increasingly sophisticated attempts to bypass the law.
Across the SADC region, similar agencies, including those in South Africa, have seized substandard fertilisers affecting cross-border farmers, underscoring the need for harmonised enforcement.
For now, ZCSA’s quiet battles show that vigilance, evidence-based investigation and accountability remain Zambia’s strongest defence against dangerous goods.
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