Chairperson, hon Minister, all my hon colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. The DA welcomes and fully supports this Bill. I thank the team of the Department of Trade and Industry for putting so much effort into this major achievement.
Although the Bill does not cover everything for all consumers, it is nevertheless important in promoting and advancing the social and economic welfare of consumers in South Africa. The Bill creates a fair, efficient and transparent marketplace for consumers and businesses by establishing a legal framework within which to provide a consistent, predictable and effective regulatory environment that fosters consumer confidence and promotes better customer service in the public and private sector.
Various developments over the past few years indicated that consumer protection legislation required an overview as, currently, there are neither general laws that protect consumers' most basic rights to information, confidentiality, disclosure, fairness and transparency nor laws that address the challenges of discriminatory and unfair market practice, as well as proliferation of low-quality and unsafe products. The existing provisions relating to the protection of consumers in our country are fragmented and outdated.
With this comprehensive consumer protection legislation being formulated and implemented, and therefore creating the necessary infrastructure to regulate the market for consumer goods and services, it will definitely strengthen our enforcement systems. However, my concern is that since we give the commission the power to standardise and simplify in the identified categories, is this realistic in terms of the practical challenges that need to be addressed, such as how to set up a fair standard? For who is this fair - the supplier or the consumer? How do we ensure that information is provided to the consumer in plain and understandable language, especially since we have 11 official languages?
Another concern relates to the fact that while we encourage consumers to approach the commission for protection of their rights at all times, does the National Consumer Tribunal have enough capacity to handle all cases? Is there a system in place to avoid corruption and uphold all fairness? To uphold the rights and obligations of consumers, it is equally important to maintain a balance.
As the National Consumer Commission carries all important tasks like education, enforcement, market surveillance and co-ordination, it is important for the commission to be aware that the full implementation of the Bill will require informed consumers. The commission should be tasked with the responsibility of empowering consumers on the contents of the Bill, especially in our rural areas. We need to see a comprehensive education campaign that will inform the public of this Bill.
In our recent select committee meeting, DTI expressed full confidence that the Bill would be effectively implemented, even at local government level. They also indicated that there is a system of checks and balances in place to monitor DTI inspectors, as well as an intention to review the Bill two years after implementation. The DA looks forward to receiving updated reports in the near future and to working together with DTI to ensure that this Bill truly benefits all stakeholders.
The DA supports the Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]