The complaints have been investigated in terms of Section 8 of the Competition Act, which prohibits excessive pricing.
The Competition Commission says it has received a total of 1,354 complaints and tip-offs from the public regarding inflated prices since the beginning of the national disaster declared on 17 March.
Some of the complaints relate to price increases of 1,000%. In two instances, firms pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a fine after the matter was handed over to the Competition Tribunal. The commission told the committee that government regulations relating to the national disaster prohibit dominant suppliers from charging excessive prices for certain specified goods and services – mainly basic food and consumer items, medical and hygiene supplies, and other emergency products and services.
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