Demanding quality service : an evaluation of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association (WASPA) code of conduct in light of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008

Abstract

Consumerism has been around for quite some time, giving rise to the need to protect consumers against exploitation by suppliers. In the South African context the impetus to extend protection to consumers of goods and services however only gained proper momentum at the beginning of the 2000s. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 was introduced to provide protection in respect of online transactions. With the introduction of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (hereinafter “the NCA”) that affords protection to consumers in the credit market (for a general discussion see Scholtz, Otto, Van Zyl, Van Heerden and Campbell Guide to the National Credit Act (2008) Chapter 1) as well as the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (hereinafter “the CPA”) that affords protection to consumers in a wide variety of instances (for a general discussion Naudé and Eiselen Commentary on the Consumer Protection Act (2015)) consumer protection in South Africa has eventually reached an acceptable level.