Mohamed appointed as NCC Commissioner

"Cabinet approved the appointment of Ebrahim Mohamed as the Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission for a period of five years," acting Cabinet spokesperson Phumla Williams said following a Cabinet meeting.

Mohamed was placed in an acting capacity in August 2012 following the non-renewal of former Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala-Molaudzi's contract. Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies had said earlier that her contract would not be renewed.

In June last year, the Johannesburg Labour Court dismissed Mohlala-Molaudzi's urgent application against Davies following the minister's letter of non-renewal of her contract, which expired on 3 September.

The NCC - which is an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry - is charged with the responsibility of enforcing functions assigned to it in terms of the CPA, which aims to establish national norms and standards relating to consumer protection, as well as provide for improved standards of consumer information, among others. The NCC was formally launched in 2011.

The NCC, among its duties, was in April still conducting an investigation into meat labelling following news of undeclared products in meat. This was at the instruction of Davies.

Research conducted by a study group at the University of Stellenbosch with regard to the content of various meat products in South Africa found the presence of donkey, water buffalo, goat and other undisclosed meat products in certain processed foods available to consumers at retail stores.

"Consumers have every right to be informed of the ingredients contained in food products so that they may make informed choices. Failure to do so by any party in the supply chain would constitute a breach of the CPA [Consumer Protection Act]," Mohamed had said in a radio interview in March.