Chairperson, happy birthday to the hon Minister. This is not my maiden speech; I have been here before. But it is a maiden speech wearing this cap, I suppose.
Hon members, thank you for the opportunity. If we were asked what single component of economic activity had the potential to influence the lives of most citizens significantly and quickly, I suppose we would all answer "consumer protection" without hesitation. The reason for this choice, as we all know, is that every citizen is a consumer, and almost every consumer of goods and services, at some time, is affected by business practices which are not always in the consumer's best interests. This is sometimes popularly referred to as daylight robbery.
When we improve the protection of consumers against abusive practices, we are doing something significant to improve the lives of all citizens. Happily, efforts by government, through our education system and consumer awareness activities, have made a big difference in the lives of many citizen consumers. However, as has been noted, because of differences in educational levels of consumers, and because of uneven development and perhaps the uneven reach of awareness campaigns, some citizens remain more vulnerable than others. As has also been said, the most vulnerable are the poor and the marginalised.
I wish to say, with deep conviction, that we are absolutely persuaded that this legislation will make a significant difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. The reason for our enthusiasm arises from the experience of our provincial consumer protection authority, which led us to the following conclusions about the existing legislative framework. Firstly, the gaps in the legislation were becoming more apparent with each passing year. Secondly, legislative measures that are in place to address these issues are often fragmented. Thirdly, this fragmentation leads to uncertainty in a number of sectors and, as a result, many consumer protection issues are not fully enforced. Fourthly, changes in technology that we have experienced over the past decade have drastically altered the way in which ordinary business is conducted. A number of the fragmented pieces of legislation have not kept pace with the changing circumstances experienced within our economy. Lastly, legislation has not kept pace with the changing constitutional environment that has been created by the advent of democracy. Our Constitution enshrines, as we all know, the principles of human rights, respect, dignity and transparency. Many provisions of the legislation, especially those that predated our Constitution, fail to acknowledge and adhere to these very basic democratic principles.
I am happy to report that it is the view of our consumer protection officials on the ground that the Bill before us addresses these issues. It is my belief that this legislation will make the work of provincial consumer protection authorities much easier. In particular, we welcome the clear acknowledgement of the following: The rights that all of us as consumers enjoy; the role of consumer NGOs; the codification and enhancement of a number of common law measures and protections that previously existed; the fact that consumer protection is an area of concurrent competence between national and provincial government; and the establishment of the National Consumer Commission and the National Consumer Tribunal.
Before this Bill, the voices of consumers were somewhat muffled. Once this Bill becomes law, all consumers will have a powerful voice. The trick is going to be how we can ensure that this is advanced. We trust, and I join other members in saying this, that a mass-based and sustained public education will be put in place to support this excellent piece of legislation.
We wish to thank the Minister, the department and all those who contributed to this Bill. For the record, I can also report that there was a successful public hearing on the Bill. The matter was discussed in the standing committee at some length, and it passed through the provincial legislature with both the final and negotiating mandate. All inputs received in the public participation have been accommodated to the very best of our knowledge.
The Western Cape fully supports the proposed legislation. I thank you. [Applause.]