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The Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC), the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ), and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) are spearheading initiatives to ensure that consumer protection becomes an integral part of a modern, efficient, effective, and just marketplace.
This emerged at a stakeholders’ awareness workshop convened by Consumer Protection held at a top hotel in Harare last week.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Mthokozisi Tafadzwa Nkosi, the Chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission said consumer protection safeguards the well-being and interests of consumers through education, mobilization, and representation.
“Consumer protection ensures that consumers make well-informed decisions about their choices and have access to effective redress mechanisms. It also pushes businesses to guarantee the quality of the products and services they offer,” Dr. Nkosi said.
Speaking at the same workshop, Tatenda Mapuranga, the CTC Research Officer said his organisation’s vision is to have Zimbabwe with fair markets, vibrant industry, and enhanced consumer welfare by 2030 while driven by a mission to promote and maintain competition and fair trade in all sectors of the economy.
“CTC executes its mandate of promoting and maintaining competition and fair trade through prevention and control of restrictive practices. Thus we ensure the prevention and control of monopoly situations that are contrary to the public interest through the prohibition of unfair business and trade practices.
“In assessing mergers, the Commission considers the prevention of the creation of dominant monopoly positions. We also address barriers to entry and expansion; ensure the removal of efficient competition; protect consumers from incurring losses when firms claim that they are failing, among other measures, all in pursuit of promoting interest issues,” Mapuranga said.
Thus CTC ensures fair play by eliminating anticompetitive practices and maintaining competitive markets which ensure that consumers have a wide variety of quality products to select from.
Hilda Mutseyekwa, the POTRAZ Director of Economics, Tariffs, and Competition speaking on behalf of her Director-General, Dr. Gift Machengete said the regulator’s consumer protection mandate is espoused in Section 4 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act [Chapter 12:05] and the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] which protects consumer data and privacy.
“Section 4 of the Postal and Telecommunications Act of 2001 gives POTRAZ a number of roles. These mandate players to ensure the provision of universal and sufficient telecommunication services; promote the interests of consumers, purchasers, and other users (variety and quality); and◦monitor tariffs charged by service providers to eliminate unfair practices and promote effective competition as espoused in SI12 of 2021.
“POTRAZ is also designated as the Data Protection Authority. This is achieved through building confidence and security in the use of ICTs; providing for the protection of consumer data (sensitive and non-sensitive); encouraging lawful use of technology; and raising awareness on cyber security and data protection,” Mutseyekwa said.
To ensure consumer protection, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued the Consumer Protection Framework in June 2017, in terms of section 4C of the Banking Act [Chapter 24:20]. The Framework applies to all banking and non-bank financial institutions that are regulated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and its agents.
Addressing delegates, a senior RBZ official said given the advent of digital financial services – there is a need to enhance consumer protection laws and regulations to cater to new emerging risks.