Complaints pour in over lockdown price hikes: Competition Commission

Complaints pour in over lockdown price hikes: Competition Commission

The Competition Commission says it has received over 1 300 complaints and tip-offs from South Africans - about excessive pricing during the lockdown.

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 Commissioner, Thembinkosi Bonakele briefed Parliament's portfolio and select committees on Trade and Industry – on its work during this time. 


Bonakele says they came across several trends while investigating these. "The first is, people who were generally responding to input cost or supply disruptions that led to higher costs.


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He says they have also seen the second trend in pricing where firms have increased prices, despite there being no significant increase in input costs. 


"These are the ones that are defined in the regulations. Sometimes there would be an increase in input costs but the increase in prices would be far more than input costs," he added.  


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