THE Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) is rebranding itself as it celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, symbolising a renewed focus on consumer protection and empowerment.
The rebranding follows CCZ’s statutory designation by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce under the Consumer Protection Act.
This move strengthens its role as Zimbabwe’s official consumer protection organisation, allowing it to provide consumer redress through conciliation, mediation and arbitration.
Established in 1955, the CCZ is Zimbabwe’s premier consumer advocacy organisation, dedicated to protecting consumer rights, resolving grievances and promoting fair market practices. Over the decades, it has played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s consumer protection landscape.
“We are rebranding ourselves because this is the year where we will be highlighting all the milestones that CCZ has achieved during its lifetime, the 70 years. It reflects our journey and our commitment to serving consumers better,” said Rosemary Mpofu, the CCZ’s chief executive officer.
“We are enhancing our consumer redress mechanisms as we are now finally being given the teeth to give full consumer compensation, full consumer redress, which is a major right of every consumer across the world.”
CCZ urged consumers to speak out against injustices in the marketplace.
“Every consumer should take it upon themselves, should feel compelled to report any economic injustices, any consumer rights violations that they may face on the marketplace, consumers should not go home aggrieved or suffer silently because CCZ is there to protect you, to give the final judgment,” she said.
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As part of its 70th anniversary activities, the CCZ is scaling up consumer education efforts. In collaboration with the University of Zimbabwe, it launched the Consumer Protection Academy to offer certified training to advocacy groups, businesses and individual consumers.
“Through its 70 years of existence, the CCZ has gained a wealth of information, knowledge, and has participated in the global consumer movement for the past 70 years, that wealth of knowledge is meant to be imparted to everybody. Consumers, business, government, non-governmental organisations, you name it, everybody has a right to consumer education,” Mpofu said.
With its rebranding and strengthened mandate, Mpofu said CCZ was poised to play a critical role in Zimbabwe’s efforts to achieve an upper middle income status by 2030, ensuring that consumer rights are upheld and prioritised in national development.
