Budget Vote Trade and Industry: Gambling eroding family life

Speech by African Christian Democratic Party MP (NCOP) Kent Durr

28 May 2003

Minister I will support this vote because I believe you are an outstanding Minister that has done great work for South Africa.

However there are one or two matters I must raise with you.

Gambling, Minister, is a corrosive and corrupting practice that is having a terrible effect upon family life in the Western Cape Province and elsewhere. I believe the costs of gambling far outweigh any tax benefits, which anyhow have been overstated and have been disappointing. We are terribly disappointed to see gambling being extended with machines being placed in strategic places to tempt and impoverish further.

The ACDP remains concerned however about the whole question of consumer protection. We really need accessible, knowledgeable consumer advice and a cost effective helping hand and strong consumer protection.

A silent debt crisis is ravaging family life in South Africa.

Some 3000 debt judgments per day are being made with people blacklisted and taken out of the economy. In January 2003 alone over 100,000 debt summonses were issued; 56% more than in 1994. The people physically lose discretion over their income, sometimes for decades.

The cost is estimated at one billion Rand per month taking into account direct costs and cost to the economy.

Employees have piled up debt of R15 billion with microlenders, R10 billion with furniture retailers and R18 billion with municipalities.

Should the government not establish a commission of enquiry to devise ways and means to stop this rot that affects some 120,000 people per annum?

In my view consumer education and protection needs to be one of the highest priorities of our government and society. The private sector needs to understand that they too have a vested interest in protecting the consumer from exploitation. And exploitation should be swiftly and effectively dealt with. Business's should be named and shamed.

In the Western Cape we still have not got our Consumer Court up and running; in order to provide swift and understandable justice for aggrieved parties. We have however got premises but we still await the Central Evaluation Committee of Finance in the Province to fix the remuneration levels, so that we can advertise for a retired Judge, Magistrate or Advocate/Attorney with 10 years experience.

I have discussed this today with Minister Rasool, who promised to deal with it. We need a Judge Judy.

The 20 offices of the Consumer Protector in the Western Cape Province continue to do good work and this year will embark on an ambitions training program for the staff of the advice offices - a certificate course in consumer law, in conjunction with the Cape Academy and the National Paralegal Institute, as well as the University of Potchefstroom. We also need to impart management skills to the voluntary management committees of the advice offices.


For more information: Kent Durr MP (NCOP) at 021 403 3519
Media Liaison: Charmaine Horne at 084 370 3550 or 021 403 3307