At least 100,000 people in Africa die every year from unsafe and unregulated food products, while popular global e-commerce platforms face investigations worldwide for issues ranging from deceptive pricing to environmental and product safety violations.
This is according to Dr Willard Mwemba, director and CEO of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. He was speaking on Thursday during the National Consumer Commission’s G20 webinar titled “Developments in Consumer Protection – Product Safety and Digital Markets”.
Mwemba said the true figure of deaths linked to unsafe products could be higher due to poor record-keeping across African states.
“The 100,000 are those that are documented. Systems of record-keeping are terribly organised, so the figure could be much higher,” he said.
Mwemba added that poor regulation and weak enforcement mechanisms made the continent vulnerable to unsafe goods and unfair trade practices.
The online session brought together representatives from the European Commission, the department of trade, industry and competition (DTIC), Consumers International, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud.
DTIC deputy minister Zuko Godlimpi said consumer protection remains central to building an inclusive and trustworthy economy.
“Protecting consumers means more than enforcing compliance. It means creating fairness, transparency, and innovation that empower citizens,” he said.
Godlimpi warned that while digitalisation has made shopping easier, it has also created new risks, including misleading advertising, data misuse, and the spread of counterfeit goods.
“Consumers can now buy anything at the click of a button, but with that convenience comes complexity,” he said.
He added that influencer marketing and online product promotions also raise new regulatory questions.
“We haven’t focused enough on what happens when online promoters advertise defective products. It’s one area that needs attention,” Godlimpi said.
We haven’t focused enough on what happens when online promoters advertise defective products. It’s one area that needs attention
— Zuko Godlimpi, DTIC deputy minister
He called for stronger international collaboration and technology-neutral regulations that balance innovation with fairness and safety.
“Unsafe products manufactured in one country can reach a million consumers elsewhere within days,” he said.
Helena Leurent, director-general of Consumers International, said global cooperation and faster information-sharing are key to effective protection.
“There’s a need to build efficient structures to share information and adapt fast. Consumer protection must keep up with the speed of digital change,” she said.
The National Consumer Commission said the dialogue formed part of SA’s efforts to align its consumer protection framework with emerging UN product safety guidelines and strengthen cooperation across global markets.
Sowetan
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