The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry is seeking an intervention to “rein in unscrupulous traders” who are taking advantage of Cape Town’s water crisis to increase the price of bottled water.
The committee plans to ask Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies and the National Consumer Commissioner to expeditiously tackle the unfair business practices.
“In principle, we are asking for intervention so that something can be done to make sure the regular price of bottled water is not increased without any regard to the pockets of consumers, especially the most vulnerable,” explained African National Congress MP Adrian Williams.
All committee members agreed the “measures should be developed to prevent the poor bearing the brunt of such unfair trading”.
“The current increase in the price of bottled water being charged by some unscrupulous entrepreneurs amounts to exploitation of the poor and vulnerable and does not reflect the spirit of the Constitution,” said portfolio committee chairperson Joanmariae Fubbs.