Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, consideration of the Consumer Protection Bill and of the Report of the Select Committee on Economic and Foreign Affairs thereon, according to the ATC report of 12 August 2008, bears the core of this debate.
The IFP concurs with the need for the Bill to develop protective legislation for South Africans. This legislation will have to take up issues stated in the Bill as follows: Discriminatory and unfair market practices; proliferation of low-quality and unsafe products; lack of awareness of rights; limited redress; inadequate protection for consumers; and weak enforcement capacity. On the side of people themselves, this legislation has to take up the following: Lack of pride and self-trust, lack of innovation, lack of communal spirit or lack of co-operatives with integrity that produce genuine products, either for local or export market; and lack of love for a country if it produces substandard products which are either unhealthy or of poor quality.
To protect South Africans from market exploitation, emphasis has to be on production training for self-sufficiency. Thus, low-income groups, rural and poor people, minors, seniors or other vulnerable groups and the illiterate will protect themselves against consumerism piracy. For larger businesses or markets, group screening of products and sharing of information will assist targeted consumers. So, people should go together to have a look at what they are actually buying. An example at hand that needs protection is the pensioners and grant recipients who buy uncompromisingly at pension points, and at times accumulate huge debts.
The IFP supports the Bill. Obviously there is a lot of work to be done to protect our people from their own ignorance, scavenging market practices and the downright burying of consumers in debt. I thank you.