Competition Commission promises relief on uniform costs
Cash-strapped parents can breathe a sigh relief: the price of school uniforms is set to fall.
That's the word from the Competition Commission, which confirmed it would introduce changes to make uniforms more affordable.
Commission spokesman Sipho Ngwema said an announcement to this effect was due in the next few weeks.
In December 2016, the commission announced a probe into South Africa's school uniform monopolies, which leave parents having to cough up thousands of rands for new school kit even though similar items can usually be bought elsewhere at a fraction of the cost.
At the heart of the commission's investigation into the R10-billion school uniform industry are long-standing "exclusive supplier" arrangements between school governing bodies, principals, retailers and manufacturers.
Ngwema said during its investigation, the commission conducted a survey that revealed that a large number of schools were not familiar with a circular issued by the Basic Education Department in May 2015 regulating school uniform purchasing...
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