Move to ban used clothing imports

A non-profit organisation in Zambia has called for a ban on the importation and selling of second-hand underwear. Nelson Banda, the national co-ordinator of Zambia National Men's Network for Gender and Development, said the clothes, which were popular with men and women, were a health hazard. Despite being banned in 2017, the authorities never implemented it and the importation and sale of the garments goes on unabated, especially in the capital, Lusaka. BBC News reports that Banda said second-hand underwear had the potential to transmit diseases such as typhus and sexually transmitted infections. Trading in second-hand clothing is a source of livelihood for many unemployed Zambians.