Tanzania: TBS impounds four tonnes of used underwear in Tanga

Tanga. Four tonnes of used underwear are set to be burnt after being impounded by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) officials in various markets and shops in the northern zone in the past few weeks.

The TBS Head of Public Relations, Rhoida Andusamile told journalists here on April 27, 2019 that the bureau is currently conducting an inspection to identify substandard goods all over the northern zone.

The seized underwear include socks, braziers, towels and underskirts, according to Andusamile.

She reaffirmed TBS determination to protect Tanzanians from hazards associated with use of such underwear.

Ms Andusamile said that the government has already banned the importation of used underwear to protect citizens against such diseases as skin diseases, but the trend show that traders are persistent.

The operation also covers Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions.

In Kilimanjaro region TBS has stopped production of Banana Wine and seized 3,000 litres of the drink and has taken samples of the product for examination at TBS laboratories.

“We will be forced to stop production in the factory if it is discovered that that wine does not have the required quality for consumption by the public,” Ms Andusamile revealed.

The TBS official said that in Muheza they have seized electric wires and industrial lubricants that have been discovered to be substandard.

Speaking on complaints by businessmen over confiscation of substandard goods in the shops instead of controlling importation of such goods, a TBS Inspector, Hamis Simon said that the bureau has officers placed in all entry points and were up in arms against importation of goods but he blamed the influx of such goods on smuggling through porous border.