By Siphesihle Dlamini
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo says emaSwati businesses should refrain from unjustified price increases. The minister said these scores of emaSwati-raised concerns on the high increases in prices of food and services at the recently held Sibaya.
“The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade together with the Competition Commission will do everything in its power to ensure that those who, without justification, increase prices excessively to the detriment of consumers, are dealt with in terms of the law,” the minister said.
Minister Manqoba was speaking during the occasion of the launch of the Tinkhundla Awareness Campaign held at the Hilton Garden Inn on Monday. Tinkhundla Consumer Protection Awareness Campaign will operate in four Tinkhundla Centers in the four regions of the Kingdom of Eswatini this week. This launch comes after World Consumer Rights Day, which is commemorated globally on March 15, every year.
He added that as a ministry responsible for Commerce, Industry and Trade, they want to encourage all Eswatini businesses to observe and respect consumer rights to increase their client base, sales, and business credibility. He said the four constituencies that have been selected for this initiative have several formal and informal businesses: including beneficiaries of the Regional Development Fund (RDF) and the Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF).
“I hope they will take into consideration the information to be shared by the regulators as businesses that are known to treat consumers fairly will gain a good reputation and help them to develop their conduct,” he said.
He added that the legislative and policy framework regulating competition and consumer issues in the Kingdom of Eswatini is currently under review. He revealed that His Majesty’s government supports the development of a robust policy framework and an effective legislative framework that will improve the ease of doing business and further promote consumer welfare and protection.
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“The legislative review is meant to ensure that the Kingdom’s Competition and Consumer Policy framework is in line with developments in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The improved legal framework will also make provisions that will safeguard consumers who transact in the digital marketplace and the artificial intelligence space, to minimize the risks to consumers,” he said.
His Majesty King Mswati III has given the current government an operational tagline of “NKWE” and collaborative synergies between regulators such as we witness in this case are in line with the slogan. The collaboration will also ensure the maximization of human resource potential and serve as a time and cost-saving measure for both parastatals.
Khumalo stated that as a ministry, they hope that other parastatals will take a leaf from this best practice to ensure seamless and cohesive service delivery to emaSwati across the four regions of the kingdom. The minister expressed joy that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in driving economic growth across the globe, stimulating development, innovation, and competitiveness. According to the World Bank, in emerging markets, SMEs generate 7 out of 10 jobs and contribute up to 40 per cent of national income.
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Minister Khumalo said he strongly believes that now, more than ever, SMEs must keep pace with both the positive and negative developments brought about by globalisation and the slow economic growth caused by the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, global conflicts impacting supply chains and unpredictable weather patterns.
He acknowledged that the business environment in Eswatini has become very challenging due to the current global inflation. He said Small and Medium Enterprises face a plethora of challenges and thus his ministry will continue to create a conducive environment for business start-ups and put in place support structures for those businesses to thrive.Having acknowledged the challenges, the ministry is convinced that enterprises can also assist the government in growing the economy by protecting the welfare and the rights of consumers. “A well-protected consumer can never resist the urge to buy again”.
“It gives me great pleasure to be part of the auspicious launch of the Tinkhundla Consumer Awareness Campaign proposed by the Eswatini Competition Commission in collaboration with the office of the Ombudsman of Financial Services. I would like to congratulate and applaud my honoured colleague, the Honourable Minister of Tinkhundla, Administration and Development for seeing value in the Competition Commission’s proposal to empower citizens with consumer protection/welfare-related information at the Tinkhundla level,” the minister said.
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In closing, the minister said it is very important that businesses in rural areas have exposure to consumer-related awareness sessions to improve their services and gain an advantage over competitors by being responsive to consumer needs and welfare.
Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, Sikhumbuzo Dlamini, said his ministry has high expectations for this first-ever Regional Awareness Campaign and hopes that by the end of this exercise, emaSwati at the grassroots level and beneficiaries of the Regional Development Fund will be empowered on clearly identifying and understanding their consumers, consumer rights, competition, anti-competitive trade practices, steps to be undertaken when their rights have been violated, ensuring products safety as well as registering complaints with the Eswatini Competition Commission.
He said the government lauds the collaboration and looking forward to more fruitful future engagements between the two ministries (Tinkhundla Administration and Development and Commerce, Industry and Trade) and Parastatals (Eswatini Competition Commission and Ombudsman of Financial Services) through bringing their services closer to the people as it is evident that emaSwati require timely information relating to consumer welfare, safety and obligations.
