the arena of progressive thought

www.ziwaphi.com

ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 2 • 15-28 JAN 2010

NELSPRUIT

Six members of the Mpumalanga Consumer Affairs Court took a sworn oath on Tuesday to help protect consumers from unfair business practices.

The swearing in ceremony was conducted in the Nelspruit regional court by MEC for economic development, environment and tourism, Jabu Mahlangu, and the Nelspruit chief magistrate, David Ngobeni.

“The consumer court will preside over consumer cases that will be investigated by the office of the consumer protector and accordingly processed to ensure that consumer rights become a legislative reality,” said Mahlangu.

The six members, two of whom are women, were appointed in April last year in terms of the Mpumalanga Consumer Affairs Act 6 of 1998.

Chief magistrate Ngobeni said the office of the consumer court may also negotiate and conclude arrangements to discontinue and avoid any unfair business practice.

“This may include the reimbursement with interest to affected consumers,” Ngobeni said.

Consumer protection law regulates private law relationships between individual consumers and the businesses that sell goods and services.

This protection ranges from product liability to private rights, unfair business practices, fraud, misrepresentation and other consumer or business interactions.

It also deals with credit repair, debt repair, product safety, service and sales contracts, bill collector regulation, pricing, utility turn-offs, consolidation and personal loans that may lead to bankruptcy.

In some situations where customer complaints occur, consumers do not know the procedures to follow, while some companies do not take complaints seriously, or deal with them dishonestly, said Ngobeni.

Ngobeni said the newly appointed Mpumalanga consumer court will provide consumers with cheaper and quicker redress to their complaints and unfair treatment on the part of unscrupulous businesses.