- January 25, 2020
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) was established by Section 85 of the Consumer Protection Act No. 68 of 2008 (referred to as the Act) as an organ of state within the public administration and it was established in April 2011.The NCC is responsible for consumer protection and corporate regulation through the promotion of a fair, accessible and sustainable marketplace for consumer products and services; to provide for improved standards of consumer information; to prohibit certain unfair marketing and business practices; to promote responsible consumer behaviour; and to promote a consistent legislative and enforcement framework relating to consumer transactions and agreements. The Act provides that at least once every five years, the Minister must conduct an audit review of the exercise of the functions and powers of the Commission. The Department of Trade and Industry appointed Impact Economix to conduct an audit review of the exercise of the functions and powers of the NCC. The audit review has the following objectives:
1. To conduct an assessment to determine whether the NCC has exercised its functions and executed its powers within the parameters set by the Act for the period 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2019. The functions and powers of the NCC are stipulated in Chapter 5, Sections 92 to 98; and Chapter 6, Sections 99 to 106, of the Act;
2. To benchmark the performance of the NCC against other institutions with similar mandate in different jurisdictions;
3. To identify areas of excellence in the execution of its actual functions and powers for the period 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2019;
4. To identify gaps and challenges the NCC experienced in the execution of its actual functions and powers for the period 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2019;
5. To make recommendations on whether certain functions and powers be amended, removed or added to ensure that the NCC exercises its functions and powers in a more efficient and effective manner as required by the Act; and
6. To identify any legislative amendments necessary to enable the NCC to perform efficiently and effectively, within the current fiscal constraints.
- 2020
