Government Committed To Consumer Protection

The ANC government is committed to consumer protection, Jeff Radebe , Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, said on Friday.

He was addressing a conference hosted by the National Consumer Forum in Midrand.

"The consumer is often seen as powerless against big corporations," Radebe said.

"In this context we must tackle the exploitation of the consumer by producers, distributors and retailers."

Radebe said in the present difficult economic environment, consumers' rights were often undermined by big business in a quest to maintain profits.

The minister noted that many consumers did not understand their rights.

"You shouldn't have to be a lawyer to understand. A system must be created whereby all consumers can understand their rights," he said.

It was also necessary to take into account new shopping habits such as online shopping, the minister said.

"We have to be able to tackle e-crime now and to investigate online scams that occur to the detriment of the consumer," Radebe said.

Consumers also had to be assisted in recovering losses when they had become victims of unscrupulous producers or retailers.

"Enforcement must be encouraged," Radebe said.

The minister praised the National Credit Act, adding that to a large extent, government had been able to deal with those who sold people products they did not need and those who harassed consumers via SMS and email.

However, he identified debt collectors as a problem, saying the system needed to be transformed so that their conduct could be monitored.

The minister also pointed a finger at the auction industry saying it "disregarded consumers' rights".

He said repossessed items were often sold on auctions for a price that did not cover the consumer's debt.

"So the consumer loses his furniture and still has to pay the difference," he said.

Radebe said the Competition Commission was "doing a sterling job" when it came to combating price fixing.

"Looking ahead what we need to do is to strengthen legislation to mete out punishment for those breaking the law," he said.