The Consumer Protection Act is due to come in to effect on 24 October 2010, however South African consumers may have to wait a little longer than expected to benefit from this new legislation. According to an article on Fin24.com, all indications suggest Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies will extend the date of implementation by another six months.

Applications for the positions of commissioner and deputy commissioner of the National Consumer Commission only close today, 31 August 2010, indicating that the commission is a long way away from being ready to take on its first complaint.

Another possible set back is that the draft regulations with guidelines on how the new legislation is to be applied have not been published yet. They are likely to come out at the beginning of September, when opportunity for comment will be given for at least a month. Rosalind Lake, an associate at law firm Deneys Reitz Inc, argues that one month is not sufficient for public comment given the act’s vast scope: “Even if all comments are received in time, there is scant time for changes or incorporating comments into the regulations ahead of the scheduled implementation date and for businesses to adapt their business practices accordingly.”

Watch this space for updates over the next few weeks. In the meantime, read our CPA series to find out how the act will affect you once it does come in to effect.

Sources: Fin24.com/PersonalFinance; Fin24.com/Business; Image source: confonet.nic.in