Tanzanias government has announced plans to step up it supervision of the scrap metal business in order to prevent illegal scrap metal dealing, which is resulting in the vandalism of infrastructure in various parts of the country
The deputy minister for industry and trade, Gregory Teu, said, “The ministry has proposed enactment of a law governing and stipulating coordination and supervision of the scrap metal business.
“The law will help close monitoring of the scrap metal business at all levels from production, collection, circulation, sales and its recycling, while taking into account its impact on the environment,” he added.
The ministry, he said, has also laid down a list of legal actions that will be taken against individuals caught vandalising infrastructure to get scrap metal.
Teu said the profit from scrap metal theft is a mere fraction of the costs the government incurs to rebuild destroyed infrastructure.
He urged people to help protect the country's infrastructure and insisted that anyone with information on scrap metal theft should report the matter.
