Statement by Mlondi Mdluli, MP – DA Deputy Spokesperson on Trade, Industry and Competition:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the decision by the Competition Commission of South Africa to refer its findings of price fixing in the number plate industry to the Competition Tribunal for a final order.
The firms involved, which manufacture blank number plates, are alleged to have set prices and trading conditions in the industry since June 2023. This pushes prices higher for South Africans, as well as undermining competition and stopping new businesses from emerging in the number plate industry. These companies also are alleged to have collaborated to add a R10 surcharge on all number plates sold in KwaZulu-Natal.
This referral is a direct result of sustained DA pressure and oversight. As early as July 2025, the DA formally engaged the Competition Commission to raise serious concerns about alleged anti-competitive behaviour in this sector. At the time, assurances were given that the matter would be concluded by December 2025. This deadline passed, and a further commitment was made for finalisation by the end of February 2026.
Despite these delays, the DA maintained consistent pressure to ensure that this matter did not fall through the cracks. We are therefore encouraged that the Commission has now acted and referred the case to the Tribunal.
This is a clear demonstration that persistent parliamentary oversight yields results, and it represents a tangible win in our ongoing fight to protect consumers, support fair competition, and promote inclusive economic participation.
However, this is not the end of the process.
We will continue to monitor proceedings at the Tribunal closely to ensure that this case is prosecuted with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. Those found guilty must face the full consequences of the law, including appropriate penalties, to deter future collusion and restore integrity in the market.
The DA remains committed to championing a competitive, transparent, and fair economy that works for all South Africans.
Crazy Eights
A British man on safari walks into a bar far out in the reaches of a game reserve in Southern Africa, he stays at the bar for a while shooting the shit with the bartender and drinking like a fish, he offer to buy the barkeep a round and since no one else is within 2km of their small oasis of liquor the barkeep obliges. The englishman goes off to the bathroom to have a good old go at the porcelain, he\’s back and ready for a few more whiskeys. He\’s just sat down when suddenly in the distance he hears a scream. He looks over his shoulder and dismisses it as nothing, he turns to the barkeep and orders a drink, takes a sip and hears the scream again. He looks at the barkeep who just shrugs it off. A minute or two later he and the barman hear it again and go outside to take a look. They see a lone figure running towards them screaming, he spots them and lets out a cry, RUN!!!!! HE\”S COMING!!!!!
The barkeep and the Englishman both look at the terrified bedraggled sight before them, and try to calm him down, but he\’s completely inconsolable. They give him water and finally manage to get a word out of him but he struggles free from their grasp and run away screaming.
A few minutes later the same thing happens with a whole group of men running in and screaming, he\’s coming, he\’s coming the barkeep grabs hold of one of the men as he tries to sprint past the bar and tries to get information out of him, again no response other than terrified gibberish.
The barkeep and his customer are starting to get worried, they start to pack up before another group of horrified natives run up to the bar most of them flee but one tries to hide behind the bar, the barkeep pulls out a shotgun and points it at the terrified man\’s face, finally managing to coax some words out of him. \”He\’s coming for us, Vernon Koekemoer is coming for us, we have to hide!!! We have to get out of here.\” He gets up and tries to run but the barkeep grabs him, feeling trapped in a panic he grabs the barkeeps shotgun and blows his own head off. The Englishman and the barkeep look at each other starting to really panic now.
They look out of the window and off in the distance they see a tornado coming towards the bar, at the bottom of the tornado they see the hugest beast of a man they have ever seen, as he gets closer they spot that he is riding a rhinocerous and using a crocodile as a riding whip, with each smack of the crocodile across the back of the rhino the louder is screams and the faster it runs, the tornado following it getting ever larger.
The 2 look at each other and start to fortify their position, they\’ve got a gun and they\’re waaay to drunk to run, so they start piling bar stool and tables and anything they can get their hands on to make sure they\’ll be safe when he arrives. They\’re not gonna make it, they can see the man slowing down his rhino, by now the crocodile is nothing but reptile paste on the bruised rump of the half dead rhino, the rhino drops down dead from exhaustion and crashes to the ground right outside the bar the tornado loses it\’s last breath in a cloud of dust as the huge man crashes his way through the make shift barricade and charges up towards the bar where the 2 men have taken shelter, he grabs a bottle of the hardest liquor on the shelf and down the entire litre in 1 gulp, he peers over the bar sobbing and sees the 2 defenders cowering down behind the crates of beer, they look up at the mans\’ face and he stares at them with a look of complete and utter hopelessness, he stares at them for a half second and half screams, half sobs, \”Oh my god what are you still doing here!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!! Vernon Koekemoer is coming!!!!\”
darling peacock
Sweden: You have two cows. You offer them to the government, who gives everybody milk.