Bulawayo Firm Busted With Illegal Skin‑Lightening Creams Worth US$1,000
A Bulawayo company has been fined US$400 after police raided its city‑centre shop and seized nearly US$1,000 worth of unregistered skin‑lightening creams.
Luzern Enterprises Private Limited, represented in court by saleslady Simelweyinkosi Kanye of Bellevue, was convicted by magistrate Maxwell Ncube for selling unregistered medicines.
Prosecutor Mehluli Ndlovu told the court that on September 3, detectives from the CID Drugs and Narcotics unit received a tip‑off about the illegal trade.
Officers raided the company’s shop along Josiah Chinamano Street, where they discovered large quantities of bleaching creams being sold without the required authorisation.
Chronicle reported that the raid formed part of wider operations targeting unlicensed cosmetic products in the city.
Police recovered 176 × 500ml bottles of Power White Extra Whitening Cream, 328 × 135ml Carotene Cream, 126 × 330ml Carotene Cream and 780 × 3ml bottles of Tsunami.
When asked to produce a valid licence permitting the sale of the products, the company failed to do so.
The goods were seized, and the court imposed the fine, warning that compliance with medicine and cosmetic regulations is mandatory.
Authorities said enforcement operations will continue as part of efforts to curb the sale of unregistered products that pose health risks to consumers.
The case highlights the growing crackdown on illegal skin‑lightening creams in Bulawayo and across Zimbabwe.
