The Department of Mercantile Law recently conducted a seminar on consumer protection under the theme, The Enforcement and Redress of Consumer Rights in South Africa. The seminar's main purpose was to explore the role and mandate of the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) in supporting the enforcement and restitution of consumer rights through alternative dispute resolution.

Invited guest and keynote speaker, Ms Queen Munyai, the Interim Ombudsman and CEO of CGSO, outlined some of the challenges affecting the CGSO from fully executing its role and mandate. Some of these include the lack of awareness by consumers on the services offered by the CGSO, the jurisdictional limits as well as the lack of adequate capacity and resources.

The CGSO is one of the only two ombuds accredited under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA). Its mandate is to mediate disputes and ensure that industry players abide by the Consumer Goods and Services Industry Code of Conduct. Moreover, the CGSO plays an important role of educating consumers on their rights and redress where an industry member has breached the CPA or the Code, the CGSO reviews consumer complaints and makes recommendations for resolving disputes.

Head of the Department of Mercantile Law, Professor Munyai and Professor Swart indicated that the presentation by the CGSO was very insightful and outlined opportunities for further research and collaboration on various levels.

As the leading Faculty of Law in Africa, the faculty values building strong partnerships and collaborations with regulators and other public and private institutions and individuals.