The Sunday News
BANNED Musimboti herbal drink which was ordered off the shelves by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) 10 years ago, has resurfaced on the market and is being sold in Bulawayo.
MCAZ, in 2004, ordered the manufacturer of Musimboti, a local herbalist Mr Morgan Zimunya, to remove the product from the market because it was being sold as a medicine yet it was being manufactured from unlicensed premises.
Sunday News last week observed that two outlets in town were now selling the herbal drink to members of the public as medicine, despite the ban.
One of the outlets is situated along Main Street, while another, Musimboti Pharmacy, is at corner Robert Mugabe Way and 8th Avenue.
Several other traditional remedies, such as capsules for weight loss, libido enhancement and one that reduces the size of female privates, all selling under the Musimboti banner, are also being sold at the two outlets that are being run by Mr Zimunya.
MCAZ director-general Ms Gugu Mahlangu said the ban on Musimboti had not been lifted and the authority would investigate how the product had returned to the market without authorisation.
Ms Mahlangu said MCAZ would engage the police once they gather enough evidence on the matter.
“Indeed the Authority asked the manufacturer of this complementary medicine to remove Musimboti from the market because it was marketed as a medicine but manufactured from unlicensed premises.
“All medicines, whether complementary or allopathic must be manufactured from authorised premises that are compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices.
“We thought we had reached an agreement with the manufacturer that they would not be prosecuted if they removed their product voluntarily from the market as they had initially placed it on the market out of ignorance of the law.
“Once we have firm evidence, the matter will be reported to the police, who will take appropriate action in accordance with the law,” she said.
Contacted for comment, Mr Zimunya acknowledged that he was asked to remove his product from the market.
He was, however, at pains to justify why he had now defied the directive.
“We used to sell Musimboti through retail shops, but we encountered challenges as we were told to remove the product from shops. We complied with the directive and we are no longer selling it through retail shops but we are selling it on our own.
“This is just a mixture of different traditional medicinal herbs. Traditionally it’s called imbiza/guchu and it has a lot of advantages. It helps boost the immune system, improve blood circulation and cleans the blood system among other advantages.
“Musimboti is not harmful to anyone, it is just herbs that are put together and it has medicinal benefits,” said Mr Zimunya, who however, refused to be drawn into revealing the herbs that he used to make the drink.
The Bulawayo-based herbalist runs a fully-fledged laboratory in Bulawayo where he manufactures the Musimboti drink as well as various other traditional remedies.