AfricaPress-Tanzania: WEIGHT and Measures Agency (WMA), has promised to continue with regular inspections of weighing machines to protect customers against fake weighing machines.
WMA said regular inspections have shown positive results in many regions with the incidents declining due to stern measures taken against the culprits.
This was revealed by WMA Port Manager, Peter Chuwa, when speaking to this paper at Julius Nyerere International Trade Fair that is going on in Dar es Salaam.
He said WMA has distributed free mobile numbers which enable whistle blowers to give them information whenever they find some businessmen who temper with weigh.
Chuwa said regular inspections have helped them to nab unfaithful business persons who temper with weigh and they have been taken to relevant authorities for further measures including fine.
“When they hear that WMA will do inspection they pretend to be clean but after conducting inspection they continue with their normal life, thus we decided to make impromptu inspections and this has shown positive results,” he said.
“Some farmers and other people have our free mobile numbers whenever they see abnormal practice they contact us and we respond quickly and sometimes ourselves when we suspect anything we tell our officials to go and see what is going on,” he said.
Chuwa said they have been doing inspections in different industries like cement, tiles, steel to make sure all products have the right weigh so that the last consumer get what he or she deserve.
“For example if you declare that this is 12 millimeter we must close check if it is real 12 millimeters and if you declare that this bag is of 50 kg it is our task to check if it is real 50kg,” said Chuwa. Surveillance Manager, Almachius Pastory said they have been educating farmers in the regions of Mwanza, Simiyu, Geita, Mara, Shinyanga and Kagera to protect them from unfaithful cotton buyers who normally use fake weigh.
