By Asemahle Mbete.
IziRhoxo kwilizwe lonke ziphantsi koqwalaselo kulandela ukwanda kwezikhalazo zabathengi malunga nentlawulo eyongeziweyo engagunyaziswanga eyongezwa kwiintengo ezenziwa xa abathengi bethenga ngamakhadi ebhanki.
I-Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO) iqinisekise ukuba akukho mthethweni ukuba abanini beevenkile bezirhoxo batsale imali eyongezelelweyo xa abathengi bethenga ngekhadi lebhanki, hayi imali ezinkozo.
Osebenza ngezikhalazo eCGSO uLee Soobrathi uthe lo mkhuba ungqubana neCandelo lamashumi amabini anesithathu (23) loMthetho woKhuseleko lwaBathengi, olawula amaxabiso afanelekileyo.
“Ukuba ndingumthengi othenga inkonzo okanye imveliso, kufuneka ibe nexabiso elicacileyo kwaye kufuneka ndilihlawule elo xabiso. Ukuba imveliso ibhalwe iR10 ndize ndikhethe ukuyihlawula ngekhadi, ivenkile ayikwazi ukundibiza iR12. ICGSO ithi iye yaqaphela ukuba kuye kwavela izikhalazo kubahlali baseSoweto, eRhawutini, abathi bahlawuliswa imali eyongezelweyo xa bethenga ngamakhadi kwiivenkile zasekuhlaleni,” utshilo uSoobrathi.
“Kukho izikhokelo, ingakumbi eziphuma kuMbutho weeNtlawulo zaseMzantsi Afrika, ezicacisa oku. Umniki-nkonzo akavumelekanga ukuba afake intlawulo eyongezelelweyo xa usebenzisa ikhadi,” utshilo uSoobrathi.
Abathengi kwilizwe liphela bavakalise ukuphoxeka, besithi lo mkhwa awusasazeki nje kuphela kodwa uyaxhaphaza, ngakumbi kubantu abadala nabasemngciphekweni.
UZoleka Mpunga, waseKapa, uthi uhlawuliswe iR10 yivenkile sisrhoxo ngokukhupha iR50.
“Kukuphangwa emini. Abantu abadala bethu abangakwaziyo ukuya edolophini banyanzelwa ukuba bahlawule ngaphezulu ukuze bafumane imali yabo,” utshilo.
Usihlalo weSBA uNuur Allie ungqinile ukuba iivenkile zezirhoxo zihlawulisa iR2.50 ukuya kwiR5 xa abathengi besebenzisa amakhadi ukuthenga umbane okanye iairtime.
“Akukho ntlawulo xa uthenga ngemali ezinkozo, kodwa emva kokuba sidibene noceba, savumelana ukuba ukutsalwa imali eyongezelelweyo xa sithenga umbane okanye iairtime xa sibhatalwa ngekhadi,” utshilo.
Nangona kunjalo, wongeze wathi iintlawulo zokukhupha imali zona ziza kuqhubeka.
“Kwimali engaphantsi kwe-R100, kukho umrhumo oyi-R2.50, kunye ne-R5 kwimali engaphaya kwe-R100,” utshilo u-Allie.
I-CGSO ikhuthaze abathengi ukuba baxele iivenkile eziqhubeka nokubiza iintlawulo ezongezelelweyo ezingekho mthethweni. Izikhalazo zingafakwa kwidilesi yomnatha yeCGSO okanye ngokuqhagamshelana neofisi yezikhalazo ngokuthe ngqo, okanye ngokuqhagamshelana neKhomishini yeSizwe yabaThengi (NCC).