Competition Commission to scale down but will prioritise Covid-19 complaints

The Competition Commission says it will significantly scale down operations during the 21-day lockdown from midnight on Thursday.

However, the commisison said it would prioritise all Covid-19 complaints and the enforcement of the regulations gazetted by trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel.

"During this period, the commission discourages the filing of complaints unrelated to Covid-19 as well as all merger transactions except those involving failing firms or firms in distress," commission spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said.

He said complaints related to abuses of dominance or such exploitative practices relating to Covid-19 will be handled between the commission and the National Consumer Commission through a dedicated team.

Ngwema said that, to date, the two authorities had received more than 20 complaints about excessive or exploitative pricing of essential products such as face masks, toilet paper and sanitisers.

"Consumers and affected businesses in the supply chain can report any concerns to the regulators through details available on their websites, or through the toll-free number ‪0800 014‬ 880," Ngwema said.

The commission urged businesses to comply with the published regulations, as non-compliance would be met with maximum penalties and sanctions.