It is a sad mirror on one’s life if one has to spend a pretty good Monday reading the most recent tome from the SA government. I refer to the Consumer Protection Act or as I prefer to call it, the Fukushima A Mosquito Act.
The key concept aims at… “helping consumers—
- who are low-income persons or persons comprising low-income communities;
- who live in remote, isolated or low-density population areas or communities;
- who are minors, seniors or other similar consumers; or
- whose ability to read and comprehend any advertisement, agreement, mark, instruction, label, warning, notice or other visual representation is limited by reason of low literacy, vision impairment or limited fluency in the language in which the representation is produced, published or presented; “
But I think they got carried away. After working through 150 pages of protecting the consumer but removing ever more rights from the already corkscrewed small business owner, I have come to realise that government has no idea about SMME reality.
In fact, that’s not quite true. My legal friends (SMMEs all) are all planning Indian Ocean Christmasses from the consulting to be had to keep you and me in line. (After all, 12 years in Pollsmoor and/ or a fine equal to 10% of annual turnover, is a tad disconcerting.)
Even though I am in Norway, it seems that I am going to be forced to offer stuff that the DTI feels I have not offered since I started in 1984. Dreadful things like refunds if clients are not happy. And client service to explain the small print. And it even seems – and I do not want to shout this out too loud - that I must deliver to them what they’re paying for.
In fact, you and I have been so bad at this that a new Consumer Commissioner needs urgent appointing, with a new BMW in line with her status, new offices, and a gaggle of civil servants. All this so that low income folk in rural areas not well serviced by Eskom, and without Internet access, can be assured that if they had the Web they could buy from me without any fear of loss.
Maybe I am a little vexed by a new EU ruling that has kiboshed my plans to bring my Mom out to Norway for a couple of weeks. Turns out that I have to submit my tax returns, bank statements and my wife to the local police chief for his approval before he will allow me to sign away my future to warrant that Mom will not overstay her welcome, die, or otherwise burden the state. This after she has to paid R3000 for medical cover for two weeks here. A new rule, it seems, to keep the tourist hordes out of Europe.
I am going to go out on a limb here, but I have a radical suggestion on how we can solve this turdy bloat of paper that we are drowning in. It is this: The day after the national elections we should send all the elected officials to an Indian Ocean hideaway, to stay at 5 Star resorts for their entire elected term. Not only will this cost much, much less than the damage they do when they pitch at the office, but they will have a fine time as well. So will the rest of us.
This is not just the SA crew, but the entire Euro bunch. What the heck, lets go for bust and send the worldwide crowd. Four years with no new regulation, and nobody giving our future to bonusclad bankers. Could it go any more wrong, or cost any more, than if they stayed at home?