The Sunday News
Ntombiyolwandle Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Cosmetology Association (ZCA) has finally spread its wings to Bulawayo, in a bid to reach out to cosmetologists across the country.
In an interview, during the launch of the association in Bulawayo last week, ZCA chairperson Jackie Granger said the association was founded with the hope of uplifting the standards of cosmetology in Zimbabwe.
“We saw that there was need to promote the cosmetology industry after realising that we were not represented in any way. We are here to promote professionalism in the industry. This is a proper profession where people go to college to get recognised as professional hairdressers and beauty therapists. We want the public to recognise this profession like any other profession,” she said.
The organisation was first launched in June last year in Harare.
However, Granger noted that the organisation was having challenges in establishing itself beyond the capital.
“Before we could expand our association to other cities, we had to register with the Ministry of Labour and Social Services as a new organisation and the process of registering takes a bit of time and we had to wait before we could reach out to people outside Harare,” Granger said.
“Also we were facing challenges in terms of reaching out to the intended clientele, as many people are very sceptical when it comes to joining new associations, as the public is sometimes not sure of your intentions and goals as a new association,” she added.
Granger said she was excited that they had launched the association in Bulawayo and that their next destination was Kwekwe and Kadoma.
“We have about 15 000 members on Facebook and right now we want people to pay subscription fees to join the association,” she said.
Granger said their long term plans were to change the abnormalities that are in the cosmetology industry.
“There are a lot of fake products in the market, for instance skin lightening creams and relaxers that are smuggled through our borders without being checked and they cause damage that is irreversible to our skin, kidneys and unborn babies.
‘We want to stop the smuggling of such products and we will be working with people who bring real products and make our profession viable to the public,” she said.
