The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has indefinitely suspended production at two iron bar factories in Dar es Salaam allegedly for operating without the bureau’s certification.
The Quaim Steel Mills Chief Executive Officer Mr Hassan Rizvi communicates in a mobile phone while the Tanzania Bureau of Statistics (TBS) officials closed the production of the factory due to lack of TBS certification
Metro Plastic Industries Ltd and Quaim Steel Mills Ltd which have been in operation since 2005 and 2006, respectively, will resume production anytime depending on the acquisition of certification from the bureau.
The suspension comes a few weeks after a 16-storey building under construction collapsed in Dar es Salaam, claiming lives of 36 people and left 18 others injured.
The TBS Inspector, Mr Yona Afrika, said yesterday that manufacturers are required by the law to have their products tested and certified by the bureau prior to commencement of production. “I am a field man and the law allows me to suspend the production of factories operating without the TBS mark and bring a closing note within three days,” he said.
The TBS lawyer, Mr Baptiser Bitaho, said the Standards Act No. 2 of 2009 states clearly that TBS is required to promote standards, but in doing so the bureau cannot compromise quality.
“This suspension does not mean that the two factories are producing sub-standard goods, but we are doing this to protect the producer and consumer from the possibilities of producing or consuming inferior goods,” he said.
Mr Bitaho added that manufacturers should conform with standards to avoid problems and loss to the nation. “We have seen a building collapsing in Dar es Salaam recently and this could be a result of inferior materials,” he said.
The Factory Manager at Metro Plastic Industries Ltd, Mr Onesmo Ngodo, agreed to halt production but questioned the TBS’ modus operandi, saying it is supposed to be more proactive.
“We the manufactures are ignorant of the role of TBS because the bureau has failed to engage us on the importance of certifying our products, for all these years we have been operating without any problem,” he said. Mr Ngodo also wondered over whether TBS was just being reactive because of the recent incident of the collapsed building, urging them to be proactive and do their work all the time.
However, at Quaim Steel Mills Ltd the TBS officers who were accompanied by some police officers faced it rough as a man identified himself as the company lawyer threatened not to conform to the order. Kara Remtula approached TBS officers furiously questioning the legality of closing the factory verbally.
“We are not closing the factory by a mere verbal order, we need a written notification,” he said. But the furious man did not win the day as TBS officials went ahead and placed a padlock at the factory’s main entrance and left.
By ABDULWAKIL SAIBOKO, Tanzania Daily News
