SA School Uniform Prices May Get Cut After Investigations

According to the Competition Commission spokesperson, Sipho Ngwema, the investigation is at an advanced stage.

Ngwema added that an announcement would be made in the coming weeks.

The latest findings by the Commission are expected to reduce the cost of school uniforms countrywide.

This comes after the cost of uniforms were reported to be inflated as a result of exclusive agreements between a single supplier and a number of schools.

Ngwena states some of the findings so far include:

Over a third of private schools and former Model C schools were found to have exclusive agreements with school uniform suppliers. Of these, 87% of private schools and 53% of former Model C schools have just one exclusive agreement.

The majority of schools which have entered into exclusive agreements for the supply had not done so through open tenders across all provinces. These contracts had existed for a number of years, with the earliest contract being made in 1974.

Following this investigation, the Commission is likely to take serious steps. This includes the enforcement of a circular which was issued by the Basic Education Department in May 2015. This circular stated that school uniforms should be as generic as possible, in order for it to be obtainable from a number of suppliers.