The department of trade, industry and competition on Monday invited public comment on draft regulations aimed at protecting small businesses against abusive practices by either dominant suppliers or customers.
The publication of the draft regulations comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Competition Amendment Act of 2018 in February and trade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel promulgated sections of the Act in July.
Patel said at the time the provisions would provide small businesses with remedies against price discrimination by dominant firms; or when dominant buyers abused their power by imposing unfair prices and other trading conditions.
The Competition Commission is expected to publish draft guidelines on buyer power and price discrimination next week which are expected to complement the regulations by providing guidance on how the entity will investigate potential cases.