A look at uniform monopoly

BATTLE ON: EXPENSIVE SCHOOL CLOTHES UNDER SCRUTINY BY COMPETITION COMMISSION

Nearly 1 600 schools and over 280 governing bodies were part of probe.

Last year the Competition Commission started its investigation of South African school uniform monopolies that take advantage of parents buying uniforms for their children.

Deputy Commissioner of the investigative body, Hardin Ratshisusu, said the investigation comes after previous attempts to get schools to operate within pro-competitive parameters.

Primedia’s 702/Cape Talk’s Eusebius McKaiser spoke to Ratshisusu about how they intend to get to the bottom of the issues regarding possibly unethical business relations between suppliers and schools.

He said that a nationwide survey would be conducted to decipher where the challenges lie before opting for a strategy to alleviate the practice. However, CEO of Governing Body Foundation Tim Gordon cautioned against “over-reacting to something which is really at best still to be investigated rather than taken as a given”.

In response to the report, he said the fact that less than 10 people complained could be indicative that this is not an issue of concern – but speaking to 702, Gordon said is not an acceptable situation for schools to dictate where parents can buy uniforms.

This follows a conversation with Deputy Commissioner at the Competition Commission, Ratshisusu, who said the commission will be looking into exclusive arrangements between uniform suppliers and school management.

Gordon says they’ve been engaging schools and warning them against the practice of putting special designs on uniforms, preventing parents from getting them anywhere but in the designated shops.

According to 702, over 30% of schools investigated by the Competition Commission were found to be involved in anti-competitive behaviour in terms of school uniform contracts.

The investigation into school uniform costs has reached an advanced stage and should be concluded in the next few weeks, says commission spokesperson Sipho Ngwenya.

Nearly 1 600 schools and over 280 governing bodies were part

According to 702 over 30% of schools investigated by the Competition Commission were found to be involved in anti-competitive behaviour in terms of school uniform contracts.

of the probe, which was officially launched in January last year.

The investigation stemmed from a string of complaints about exclusive contracts many schools have with some suppliers.

Ngwenya advises that exclusive contracts are unlawful and many have resulted in exorbitant uniform prices.

Ngwenya explains that the investigation findings will be followed by key announcements and recommendations.

The commission engaged with the Basic Education Department, various schools, governing bodies, parents, uniform manufacturers and distributors.

For more details about the investigation visit