Consumer Rights Day: Government goes after consumers when it should be targeting real criminals

FMF Press Release (Law Justice 4)

Blaai af vir Afrikaanse weergawe.

15 March 2024

15 March is World Consumer Rights Day, which is aimed at raising awareness of the rights and needs of consumers. While the South African government pays lip-service to respecting consumers, it has instead criminalised them while simultaneously failing to combat the real criminality that plagues our society.

South Africa is in the throes of a violent crime crisis unrivalled around the world, yet the government seems bent on regulating every aspect of consumers’ economic choices. Beyond the obvious way in which rampant crime curbs individual freedom, government overreach in the form of overregulating the economic interactions between free individuals in South Africa has overcriminalised our society, thereby undermining consumer rights.

The Free Market Foundation (FMF)’s Section 12 Initiative launched its Criminalisation Index yesterday. The Index attests to the overcriminalised state of our legal system.

The collapse of the criminal justice system means that ordinary citizens are at the receiving end of very high contact crime rates, including murder, business and house robbery, and hijacking. The South African government has not shifted its focus towards putting an end to this. Instead, it is arbitrarily inflating the list of possible offences for which ordinary citizens can be charged.

Here are a few examples:

  • Parliament is currently working to adopt the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. This will mean that those who choose to smoke or vape inside their own home while using their home as a place of work could be fined and/or imprisoned for up to five years.
  • In terms of the National Land Transport Act, a transportation service provider could spend up to three months in prison because they drove people to or from ‘nearby’ an international border without a permit. The same Act would see someone who provides ‘tourist transport services’ – as simple as driving tourists around to show them the sights on a fixed itinerary – without accreditation, spend up to two years in prison.
  • In terms of the Films and Publications Act, anyone who distributes or shows a film or videogame in public without being registered with the Films and Publications Board could be fined up to R150,000 and/or be imprisoned for up to eight months.

‘Rather than being concerned with dictating the behaviour of consumers and small business owners in this way, one would think that the government would have focused its efforts on combatting real crime,’ says Martin van Staden, FMF Head of Policy.

The core function of the state is to ensure the safety of all its citizens so that they can thrive and pursue their ends. ‘The social contract dictates that the free individual sacrifices their absolute liberty to the state so that the state may monopolise the lawful use of coercion to maintain order. The return on investment for the individual is that the state combats violence against their person and property’, says Van Staden.

With the 2024 election looming, the FMF calls on government to respect the freedom of choice of consumers and cease criminalising innocuous economic activity. Instead, government should prioritise violent crime.

Ends.

Press enquiries

Anneke Burns
FMF Publicist
071 423 0079 | press@fmfsa.org

***

Verbruikersregtedag: Regering vervolg verbruikers wanneer dit werklike misdadigers behoort te teiken

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15 Maart 2024

15 Maart is Wêreld Verbruikersregtedag, wat ten doel het om bewustheid te verhoog oor die regte en behoeftes van verbruikers. Terwyl die Suid-Afrikaanse regering lippediens lewer oor respek vir verbruikers, is dit eerder besig om hulle te kriminaliseer terwyl dit terselfdertyd nie daarin slaag om die werklike misdadigheid wat ons samelewing teister, te bekamp nie.

Suid-Afrika is in die greep van ‘n geweldsmisdaad-krisis sonder mededinger wêreldwyd, nogtans lyk dit asof die regering daarop uit is om elke aspek van verbruikers se ekonomiese keuses te reguleer. Buiten die ooglopende manier waarop ongebreidelde misdaad individuele vryheid aan bande lê, het oordrewe staatsinmenging in die vorm van oorregulering van die ekonomiese interaksies tussen vrye individue in Suid-Afrika ons samelewing oorgekriminaliseer en sodoende verbruikersregte ondermyn.

Die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) se Section 12 Initiative het gister sy Kriminaliseringsindeks bekendgestel. Die Indeks getuig van die oorgekriminaliseerde toestand van ons regsstelsel.

Die ineenstorting van die strafregstelsel beteken dat gewone burgers aan die ontvangkant van baie hoë kontakmisdaadsyfers is, insluitend moord, besigheids- en huisroof, en voertuigkaping. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering verskuif nie sy fokus om ‘n einde hieraan te maak nie. In plaas daarvan blaas dit arbitrêr die lys van moontlike oortredings op waarvoor gewone burgers aangekla kan word.

Hier is ‘n paar voorbeelde:

  • Parlement werk tans daaraan om die Wetsontwerp op Tabakprodukte en Elektroniese Afleweringsisteme aan te neem. Dit beteken dat diegene wat binne hul eie huis rook terwyl hulle hul huis as ‘n werkplek gebruik, beboet en/of gevangenisstraf kan kry vir tot vyf jaar.
  • In terme van die Nasionale Vervoerwet kan ‘n vervoerdiensteverskaffer tot drie maande in die tronk spandeer omdat hulle mense na of van ‘naby’ ‘n internasionale grens vervoer het sonder ‘n permit. Dieselfde wet sou iemand wat ‘toeristevervoerdienste’ verskaf – so eenvoudig soos om toeriste rond te ry om hulle die besienswaardighede op ‘n vaste reisplan te wys – sonder akkreditasie, tot twee jaar in die tronk plaas.
  • In terme van die Films en Publikasieswet kan enigiemand wat ‘n film of rekenaarspeletjie in die openbaar versprei of vertoon, sonder om geregistreer te wees by die Films- en Publikasiesraad, beboet word tot R150,000 en/of tot agt maande in die tronk beland.

‘Eerder as om die gedrag van verbruikers en kleinsake-eienaars op hierdie manier te dikteer, sou ’n mens dink dat die regering sy pogings op die bekamping van werklike misdaad sou gefokus het,’ sê Martin van Staden, FMF Beleidshoof.

Die kernfunksie van die staat is om die veiligheid van al sy burgers te verseker sodat hulle kan floreer en hul eie doelwitte kan nastreef. ‘Die sosiale kontrak bepaal dat die vry individu sy absolute vryheid aan die staat opoffer sodat die staat die regmatige gebruik van dwang kan monopoliseer om orde te handhaaf. Die opbrengs vir die individu is dat die staat geweld teen sy persoon en eiendom bestry,’ sê Van Staden.

Met die 2024 verkiesing om die draai, doen die FMF ‘n beroep op die regering om die vryheid van keuse van verbruikers te respekteer en om op te hou om onskuldige ekonomiese aktiwiteite te kriminaliseer. Die regering behoort in plaas daarvan geweldsmisdaad te prioritiseer.

Einde.

Persnavrae

Anneke Burns
FMF Publisiteitsbeampte
071 423 0079 | press@fmfsa.org

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