Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 29-05-2017
An Islamic retailer in Johannesburg has told Radio Islam that its unlikely that a 10 litre bottle of Zam Zam could cost as much as R400 saying it’s a “money making scheme.”
Concerns have been raised that the price of Zam Zam water being sold in South Africa is hugely inflated and overpriced.
Yusuf Abramjee tweeted on Sunday: “10 litres of #ZamZamWater sells for over R400 in South Africa. This is daylight robbery.”
The retailer has provided Radio Islam with an example of the break down of the costs which includes sea freight from Jeddah to Durban, customs tax, road transport charges and other duties for a twenty-foot container with two thousand four hundred 10-litre bottles of Zam Zam.
He says after calculation, the cost for a bottle of Zam Zam works out to about R200 for a 10-litre bottle.
Meanwhile a Zam Zam importer has told Radio Islam it is a difficult and lengthy process to bring the water to South Africa hence the high cost of the commodity.
The importer who spoke on condition of anonymity says while the factory in Makkah charges a minimal amount for Zam Zam water, it becomes more expensive outside of the facility.
He says he is not the only importer of Zam Zam, and South Africa is much cheaper that some other countries excluding Saudi Arabia.
“It is not easy to bring Zam Zam here. It’s a long procedure, maybe six months to take it outside from Saudia. In South Africa Zam Zam is cheap. You can check other countries like Malaysia, Pakistan, China, you find it’s more expensive than South Africa.”
The importer declined to reveal the cost of importing the Zam Zam to South Africa only saying that it’s not compulsory to break the fast with the water.
In 2015 health inspectors bust a room at a building in Makkah where a group of foreigners were using the facility to bottle normal water in packs and market them as Zam Zam water.
Last year the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa urged Muslim to be cautious about Islamic outlets that were selling bottles of Zam Zam that were fake and filled with ordinary tap water.
Zam Zam water is derived from the well of Zam Zam in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and is widely consumed in South Africa and world wide, especially during the month of Ramadan.
10 liters of #ZamZamWater sells for over R400 in South Africa. This is daylight robbery. @KSAembassyza pic.twitter.com/WSl39x7MiE
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 28, 2017
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