Consumer Protection Act No 68 of 2008
The purpose of this Act is to promote and advance the social and economic welfare of consumers in South Africa by:
- The establishment of a legal framework for the achievement/maintenance of a consumer market that is fair, accessible, efficient, sustainable and takes responsibility to benefit consumers in general.
- To reduce and ameliorate any disadvantages experienced by accessing any supply of goods or services by consumers:
- who are low-income persons or persons comprising low-income communities;
- who live in remote, isolated or low-density population areas or communities;
- who are minors, seniors or other similarly vulnerable consumers;
- whose ability to read and comprehend any advertisement; agreement, mark, instruction, label, warning, notice or other visual representation is limited by reason of low literacy, vision impairment or limited fluency in the language in which the representation is produced, published or presented.
- The promotion of fair business practices.
- Protecting consumers from:
- unconscionable, unfair, unreasonable, unjust or otherwise improper trade practices;
- deceptive, misleading, unfair or fraudulent conduct.
- The improvement of consumer awareness and information and the encouragement of responsible, informed consumer choice and behaviour.
- The promotion of consumer confidence, empowerment, and the development of a culture of consumer responsibility, through individual and group education, vigilance, advocacy and activism.
- Providing for a consistent, accessible and efficient system of consensual resolution of disputes arising from consumer transactions.
- Providing for an accessible, consistent, harmonized, effective and efficient system of redress for consumers.