MEDIA RELEASE
SUBJECT : ANC WANTED ALL MUNICIPALITIES EXEMPTED FROM CONSUMERS ACT
ISSUED BY : Adv. Anton Alberts
CAPACITY : FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Trade and Industry
DATE : 25 March 2011
The FF Plus established that the ANC initially wanted all municipalities to be exempted from the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA). According to a government notice which was issued by the minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Rob Davies, the minister of Cooperative Governance requested that all municipalities be temporarily exempted from the Act.
“This is shocking and suggests that the ANC wants to hide their bad service delivery at all the municipalities from the Consumer Commission,” Adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson on Trade and Industry, said. “It is now crystal clear that the ANC is very scared about the impact that a possible flood of complaints might have on the coming elections.”
The CPA, however, does not make provision for the complete exemption of all municipalities. According to section 2(3)(b)(i) of the Act only medium and low capacity municipalities can qualify for a temporary exemption but not a permanent one. That means that high capacity municipalities would still be subjected to the Act. “We believe that the ANC will only enforce the Act after the municipal elections,” Alberts added.
“The FF Plus has therefore decided to assist residents of the larger municipalities like Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town in their complaints to the Consumer Commission. The party will soon launch a client service website to assist residents in this regard. It is time that the taxpayer gets value for his or her money. If services are bad then the Consumer Commission must ensure that a lower tariff be payable. Where no services have been delivered, then no tariffs must be payable.”
According to Alberts this is in line with the FF Plus’ philosophy of ‘no services, no taxes’.
Adv. Anton Alberts
Contact number: 083 950 9272
