18/10/2026
ZCSA SEIZED AND WITHDRAW 134 CASES OF PACKAGED SACHET MINERAL WATER VALUED AT K3,350.
October 17,2026
By Sky FM -Monze
The Zambia Compulsory Standards Agency (ZCSA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, has seized and withdrawn 134 cases of packaged sachet mineral water in Choma District of Southern Province valued at K3, 350.
ZCSA Manager Communications and Public Relations, Brian Hatyoka, said the Agency seized and withdrew the packaged sachet mineral water in Choma from named outlet on October 5, 2026 as the products were illegally supplied on the market contrary to the Compulsory Standards Act Chapter 422 of the Laws of Zambia.
Mr. Hatyoka said the products were supplied on the market without valid permission from the Agency, adding that the safety and quality of the products in question was not assertained by the Agency.
He was speaking to Sky FM in Pemba in an interview on Saturday, October 17 2026 after former pupils of Pemba Secondary School officially handed over a borehole to Pemba Secondary School Seventh-day Adventist Church valued at over K60, 000.
Mr. Hatyoka, who is also Pemba Secondary School Adventist Alumni Executive Secretary, explained that 97 cases of packaged sachet mineral water were seized and restricted at the premises for the said Agency while 37 cases were withdrawn from the factory.
Mr. Hatyoka warned of punitive actions against entities in Choma, Southern Province and other parts of Zambia which are illegally producing, importing and supplying non- compliant packaged drinking products and other products covered by compulsory standards as such products may risks to public safety and health.
He said ZCSA is mandated to seize, restrict, re-work of destroy non-compliant products to protect consumers and the environment.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hatyoka has cautioned entities and individuals in Southern Province who are producing and supplying an illegal b**r concoction known as Chijjabo made of substances which are not meant for human consumption.
He said it was sad that some people got sick while others died after they consumed the b**r concoction made out of methylated spirit, shoe polish, panadol among other substances, which not meant for human consumption.
Mr. Hatyoka urged citizens to develop a habit of reading product labels such as alcohol percent, expiry dates, among others to safeguard their health.
Citizens should also report to the nearest ZCSA office in provincial centres, border posts and Head Office in Lusaka or through online platforms when they are sold of questionable on the market.
