Competition Authority urges councillors to assess by-laws
Ivy Matlho | Tuesday December 1, 2015 17:04
Speaking at a full council meeting session last week, Morotsi said it was time councillors assessed by-laws before implementing them because some of the regulations made it difficult for Batswana to set up businesses.
“When you make by-laws, first think how negatively the law will affect competition assessment,” Morotsi said. “You should assess whether that law would kill the business or improve it.”
He said the CA realised most councillors and MPs lacked knowledge on competition assessment, hence the need for the authority to provide them with the information regarding competition assessment.
Morotsi also said many Batswana failed to start businesses because councils had strict regulations and requirements. He said councils should consider the way they set up requirements and regulations of setting up businesses to avoid a situation whereby people have the desire to start businesses, but are not able to do tso because of the requirements.
“Some of the things that are required for one to start a business are so difficult and many people end up failing to start a business because of these requirements,” he said.
He said the laws made should ensure fairness in trading for both small-scale businesses and large-scale ones.
Councillor Phemelo Nthwane said it was time for councils to also recognise small-scale businesses to avoid unfairness. In most cases, she said, large-scale businesses were given first priority.
“We have sidelined small-scale businesses for a longer time now,” she added. “It is high time as councils you recognised them to avoid unfairness.”
Councillor Molosiwa Molosiwa said most of the time hawkers were not allowed to trade in shopping malls because it was believed they litter around. The council gave hawkers licences to trade everywhere they wanted except in malls, saying this was not fair as businesses are cenred at malls.
Molosiwa said councils should set up regulations that would stop hawkers from littering rather than restricting them to trade at malls.
“The best solution is for the council to call hawkers and set up some regulations that will ensure hawkers do not litter. It is not right to give foreign traders first priority over locals,” he said.