The National Consumer Commission (NCC) needs R100 million in order to effectively carry out its mandate, it says.
Commissioner Mamodupi Mohlala says its current budget is R33 million, but in order to operate efficiently and handle the thousands of calls it receives from consumers each day, it needs a total of R98 million.
The NCC was set up as a result of the Consumer Protection Act, which came into effect last April. Its mandate is to ensure the law is enforced.
Mohlala says the call centre, which is only staffed by five agents, is unable to pick up 20 000 calls each month because of a lack of capacity. She says only 8 000 queries and complaints are answered.
The NCC needs a total of 30 agents to handle volumes, says Mohlala.
Without additional funding, the NCC will not be able to function properly, which includes processing complaints, conducting investigations and defending matters at the National Consumer Tribunal, says Mohlala.
Since inception, the NCC has resolved 4 124 complaints, says Mohlala.
The Department of Trade and Industry was not immediately available to comment on the NCC's funding.
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