The Competition Commission is taking a hard line on schools that disregard the guidelines and provisions of the Competition Act.
If all fails the commission will take action as parents are struggling with the high cost of school uniforms. The competition body indicated it had received more than 220 school uniform-related complaints to investigate during the past year.
The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that Gauteng was the leading province with about 60 complaints, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 35. The commission reached settlement agreements with some of the schools and suppliers involved.
Commission spokesperson Siyabulela Makunga told the publication some schools concluded agreements with manufacturers or suppliers on an exclusive basis to supply uniforms. These ranged from five-year contracts to indefinite deals that were entered into without any transparent or competitive bidding process.
Makunga told TimesLIVE the commission would not hesitate to prosecute schools that disregard the guidelines and provisions of the Competition Act.
“Parents are urged to hold school governing bodies and schools accountable by ensuring uniform policies take into consideration the provisions of the act.”
He said parents can report anticompetitive conduct to the commission via email to ccsa@compcom.co.za or WhatsApp 084-743-0000.
TimesLIVE
Commission encourages parents to hold SGBs and schools accountable for defying Competition Act
Image: Nqubeko Mbhele
The Competition Commission is taking a hard line on schools that disregard the guidelines and provisions of the Competition Act.
If all fails the commission will take action as parents are struggling with the high cost of school uniforms. The competition body indicated it had received more than 220 school uniform-related complaints to investigate during the past year.
The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that Gauteng was the leading province with about 60 complaints, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 35. The commission reached settlement agreements with some of the schools and suppliers involved.
Commission spokesperson Siyabulela Makunga told the publication some schools concluded agreements with manufacturers or suppliers on an exclusive basis to supply uniforms. These ranged from five-year contracts to indefinite deals that were entered into without any transparent or competitive bidding process.
Makunga told TimesLIVE the commission would not hesitate to prosecute schools that disregard the guidelines and provisions of the Competition Act.
“Parents are urged to hold school governing bodies and schools accountable by ensuring uniform policies take into consideration the provisions of the act.”
He said parents can report anticompetitive conduct to the commission via email to ccsa@compcom.co.za or WhatsApp 084-743-0000.
TimesLIVE
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