A Cape Town chemical company has been reported to the Competition Tribunal for excessive pricing on hand sanitiser during the COVID-19 disaster, reports TimesLIVE. The Competition Commission said its investigation of Caprichem found the company doubled the price of a five-litre bottle of sanitiser from R262 to R527, including VAT. This was “to the detriment of customers and consumers in contravention of the Competition Act read with regulation four of the consumer protection regulations”.
Caprichem MD Robert Jonas reportedly told TimesLIVE the claim was untrue, saying his attorney was speaking to the commission about its statement. “We've given them all the proof and we'll certainly be challenging this,” said Jonas. “We've been charging R458 excluding VAT since March 2019, and we have sent them price lists proving that. Even in 2013 we were charging R317,” he added.
“The commission has asked the tribunal to impose a maximum penalty against Caprichem,” it said.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-05-28-cape-chemical-firm-faces-prosecution-for-doubling-hand-sanitiser-price/"]Full report in The Times[/link]