A pharmacy group accused of charging excessive prices for face masks and hand sanitisers at its Nelspruit and Pretoria branches has agreed to pay a R30,000 fine and make a donation to the Solidarity Fund for COVID-19, says a TimesLIVE report. The agreement to pay a R30,000 fine and the R3,875 donation are two consent agreements that the Van Heerden Group reached with the Competition Commission.
The settlement of R30,000, which is applicable to the Nelspruit branch, and the Solidarity Fund donation, which is applicable to the Pretoria branch, form part of two separate consent agreements that the pharmacy group reached with the commission.
The report says the agreements have since been confirmed as orders of the Competition Tribunal. In terms of the consent agreements, the pharmacy group has also agreed to reduce its gross profit margins for these essential products for the duration of the State of Disaster.
[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-05-07-pharmacy-group-to-pay-r30000-settlement-for-excessive-markups-on-face-masks/"]Full report in The Times[/link]