Inspectors fine thousands of shops – Mozambique

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Inspectors fine thousands of shops – Mozambique

9:30 CAT | 15 Nov 2016

Folha de Maputo (File photo)

Mozambique’s National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE) on Monday announced that between January and September of this year, it had inspected 9,329 establishments.

Speaking at a Maputo press conference, INAE assistant inspector Acacio Foia said that 4,448 of these shops (47.7 per cent) were fined for such offences as failing to display the prices of the goods on display, selling foodstuffs that were past their expiry date, and price speculation.

Since the beginning of October, INAE has also been monitoring the market, checking the availability of goods, analyzing the evolution of their prices, and assessing which products are in danger of running short, as the country approaches the 2016 festive season.

Foia admitted that in general prices are high, and he blamed this on a high rate of inflation (over 25 per cent in the past year), and the depreciation of the national currency, the metical, against the US dollar and the South African rand.

A further cause of high prices was poor domestic production of some goods. He warned that INAE inspectors had found a shortage of vegetables across the country.

Speculation and opportunism have been regular occurrences among traders during past festive seasons. Foia warned that this year INAE will be “implacable” and will impose “heavy fines” on any shopkeepers found practicing speculative prices.

Foia called on businesses to behave responsibly, and adopt fair and honest practices, including ensuring that their prices are clearly displayed, and avoiding the sale of expired goods. As for consumers, Foia urged them to be careful when making their purchases, checking that goods are not past their sell-by dates, and denouncing any opportunist behaviour to the authorities.

Source: AIM