SIYABULELA MAKUNGA | Consumers who know their rights act as our eyes and ears

Empowering consumers and promoting ethical business practices will take centre stage at this year’s commemoration of World Consumer Rights Day.

These two fundamental goals have enjoined the National Consumer Commission (NCC), the Competition Commission SA (CCSA) and the Mpumalanga department of economic development and & tourism in a collaborative initiative with the University of Mpumalanga.

The collaboration is in pursuit of a series of engagements with consumers and the business community across Mpumalanga.

Both tasked with consumer welfare, the two SA authorities (the NCC and the CCSA) are celebrating World Consumer Rights Day (March 15) under the theme “Empowering consumers — balancing rights with ethical business practices”.

In the main, this commemoration intends to educate and empower consumers on their rights and highlight the responsibilities suppliers have to deliver products and services that do not put consumers at risk or work to their financial detriment.

The most burning issue in the SA consumer protection space lies in the manufacturing, distribution and consumption of unsafe, non-compliant goods, which has garnered attention after numerous media reports of such products being exposed during law enforcement raids.

But how does the Competition Act 89 of 1998, as amended, outline the CCSA’s role in protecting consumers?

The Competition Act enhances consumer welfare by empowering the CCSA to investigate suspected anticompetitive conduct by firms and refer those found to have transgressed the Competition Act to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution.

Anti-competitive conduct that is harmful to consumers includes collusion or competing firms agreeing on what price to charge customers and when.

Firms can also monopolise an industry, enabling them to control prices, exclude competition or act independently from competitors, customers or suppliers. Just last year our efforts resulted in a 40% decrease in the price of bedaquiline (trading as Sirturo®), a drug used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

The CCSA also monitors mergers and acquisitions by firms to ensure they benefit consumers and do not lead to a reduction in competition in a particular market, excessive prices, reduced product quality, consumer choice or innovation.

For example, mergers between competitors may eliminate competition by limiting the number of service providers, while mergers between a producer and a retailer may harm competition by making it difficult for competitors to gain access to an important product.

During commemorations such as World Consumer Day, our advocacy team deploys the necessary resources to create awareness of the anticompetitive conduct prohibited by the Competition Act and thus deter firms from monopolising industries or colluding to raise prices.

This week, our team looks forward to engaging consumers and businesses alike in Mbombela and surrounding areas. I encourage readers based in Mpumalanga to keep an eye on the social media pages of the NCC for more updates on the events happening over the next week and how to engage with us.

This advocacy work is heightened by, among other important initiatives, our regular information sessions and campaigns throughout the year that educate consumers and consumer groups about the Competition Act and how it benefits them.

Why? Because informed consumers will help in the detection and reporting of anticompetitive conduct which the CCSA is not aware of.

Because anticompetitive practices are harmful to consumers, it is important that consumers, whether organised or individually, assist the CCSA in eradicating them.

The Competition Act empowers any person to initiate a complaint and does not have to be directly affected by anticompetitive conduct. A complaint can be lodged by completing a CC1 form at www.compcom.co.za.

Makunga is spokesperson for the Competition Commission of SA