After decades of abuse, the Competitions Commission has finally woken-up to the reality that big business has taken the average South African for a joke by overpricing for goods and services.
The recent investigations for the price fixing of Cancer related drugs are the tip of the iceberg. Many other chronic medicine are purposely increase in cost so that a few folks can live expensive lifestyles. This is clear from the production cost and the cost at which this type of drug is sold globally.
I have always considered that at the helm of many business concerns are individual who have cold souls and little compassion for the dignity of other humans especially those that need the medicine.
As an entrepreneur myself I believe in making a profit. I am not against anyone earning a profit from their sweat and efforts. We all have the God given right to benefit from our efforts. However, some people want to make more than a good profit. In reality some business people want to abuse the next person to the maximum to ensure a mega profit.
Example, how must ordinary people who through no fault of their own contract an illness pays for medicine when the cost of that medicine is incredibly expensive.
While making a massive profit on a house with a swimming pool or an imported vehicle is almost acceptable, overcharging for products like medicine bread and milk is not acceptable.
Political parties across the spectrum must spend more time fighting big business who abuse ordinary people by overcharging for goods and services. While the focus has always remained on corruption in government and amid politically connected people, rarely is the corruption and collusion of big business been headlines in our mass media.
Example, during the 2010 World Cup, some construction companies actively corrupted the process of Stadium building. To date, no-one went to jail and no individual has been held accountable. Billions of Rand just disappeared. Why are these individuals allowed to collude and literally steal from ratepayers who continue to pay for the Stadiums that generally remain unprofitable? Why must ratepayers accept the deceits that the construction company owners spun at the start?
Where is the justice to those who pay for overinflated medicine, food prices or stadiums built?
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress