Card
giants accused of throttling IT firm - 25 July
Visa and Mastercard, already in the spotlight after a Competition
Commission inquiry into bank fees last year, are facing a
competition probe after a complaint by a Johannesburg-based
business.
This comes more than a year after the inquiry, headed by Thabani
Jali, found that SA’s banks were a "tight-knit oligopoly .
. . sheltered from effective competition" and recommended 28
changes to benefit the consumer.
But the banks have largely brushed off Jali's recommendations,
while a government task force, including the commission, Reserve
Bank and Treasury, is still studying the proposals.
This new complaint, lodged by former Absa employee Julian Curtiss,
hints at frustration sparked by the fact that Jali's competition
probe has produced nothing tangible for consumers. In his
complaint, Curtiss claims that his Transaction Technology
Solutions (TTS) was bullied out of contracts by Mastercard and
Visa. - The Times website
Regulator
probes long mall leases, exclusivity clauses - 30 July
The legality of exclusivity clauses in shop lease agreements is
under the magnifying glass of the Competition Commission and could
be declared anti-competitive and unlawful. The commission's probe
into whether anti-competitive behaviour by retailers results in
high food prices includes a focus on long-term lease deals and
exclusivity clauses. Exclusivity clauses generally apply only to
retail lease agreements. They involve landlords contractually
agreeing not to rent space in the same centre to a competitor. - Business
Report website