At T MASEKO ATTORNEYS we provide a superior service to our clients, primarily, in the following areas of law.

Consumer Protection

For many years in South Africa the subject of Consumer Law was a misnomer as we did not have legislation that was designed for the sole purpose of regulating interaction between consumers and suppliers of goods whether as a result of a credit agreement or otherwise.  By and large this area of law was covered by general principles of law.

The enactment of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (the NCA) and the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (the CPA) changed all of this.  These pieces of legislation have combined to form a powerful weapon in the hands of both consumers and suppliers when used effectively.  This legislation has introduced significant changes in the manner in which transactions are concluded in South Africa and the behaviour of both consumers and suppliers.

With all the best intentions in the world (as borne out in the NCA and the CPA) if consumers are not aware of the rights that they enjoy under these Acts the protection offered to consumers becomes superfluous.  Equally where suppliers of goods or services are not sufficiently apprised of the provisions of these Acts their businesses face the possibility of non-compliance with the Act, which non-compliance may prove costly in the short, medium or long term.

At T MASEKO ATTORNEYS we work with our clients to ensure that they are fully apprised of and compliant with the relevant provisions of these Acts (and other legislation and applicable common law) in order to ensure that their rights are adequately protected.  We also represent clients in the various consumer forums including the Consumer Tribunal, Consumer Courts, etc.

Among the many services that firm provides to its clients in the area of Consumer Law the firm renders in particular the following services:

• Consumer Law advice
• Compliance training (in respect of both the Consumer Protection Act and the National Credit Act)
• Complaints to the Consumer Commission
• Debt enforcement
• Exemption applications
• Credit bureau clearance
• Rescission of judgments

Competition Law

The Competition Act has been in force for well over a decade now and our competition authorities, in line with their mandate in terms of the Competition Act, have been unrelenting in their enforcement of the Act.  The application of the Competition Act is very broad in scope and companies that do not comply with the Act or that contravene the provisions of the Competition Act face significant penalties.  The Competition Act makes provision for penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover in, into or from South Africa.  Accordingly, it is imperative that every business safeguards itself from contraventions of the Competition Act.  In this regard we offer various services including, among others:

• Merger notification
• Competition Law audits
• Competition Law advice
• Competition Law litigation
• Leniency applications
• Exemption applications

Civil Litigation

The firm is well placed to assist its clients with all kinds of civil litigation.  Our offices are strategically located in Midrand in order that we may be able to conveniently service our clients in all the major centres of Gauteng i.e. Greater Johannesburg, Midrand, Centurion and Greater Pretoria.  Therefore, we represent clients in any court and in particular in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court, Randburg Magistrates Court, Pretoria Magistrates Court, South Gauteng High Court and the North Gauteng High Court.

The Civil Litigation practice is closely aligned with the Consumer Law practice since the majority of Consumer Law related work done by the firm is regulatory in nature however in certain instances it is necessary to represent our clients in court or in other alternative dispute resolution forums.