ADDRESS BY COMMISSIONER EBRAHIM MOHAMED AT THE MEDIA BRIEFING TO LAUNCH THE PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE VACATION OWNERSHIP / TIMESHARE INDUSTRY:
Moderator,
Deputy Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission, Ms Thezi Mabuza
Inquiry Panelists,
Members of the media,
Officials of the NCC present,
Ladies and gentleman,
Good morning.
Thank you for gracing us with your presence this morning, as we launch this very important inquiry in the vacation ownership industry. I am confident that this tried and tested process will assist the NCC to finally guide the way forward in making recommendations that will lead to solutions to problems and challenges faced by consumers.
The National Consumer Commission has always held the view that complaints from timeshare consumers are valid and warranted. We adopted this view based on our assessment of individual complaints over time, thousands of them may I add, which have been lodged against holiday clubs and their value chain role players over the past nearly two decades since I joined the former Office of Consumer Protection at the Department of Trade and Industry.
A myriad of allegations has been levelled against role players of the vacation ownership or timeshare industry, and these are serious allegations, some of which fly in the face of the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, which is a law created as an extension of our Constitution for purposes of protecting and guaranteeing the social and
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