Pretoria: The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has introduced a free hotline for the public to report the sale of fake or expired food items. This initiative, supported by the Association of Comms and Technology (ACT), aims to facilitate the seamless registration of complaints and tip-offs regarding such foodstuffs.

According to South African Government News Agency, the hotline will be operational for three months starting on 1 December 2024. This service is made possible by the collaboration with ACT and individual mobile operators who have agreed to zero-rate calls to the NCC’s contact centre. Hardin Ratshisusu, the NCC’s Acting Commissioner, highlighted that this intervention ensures consumers can report incidents promptly, addressing concerns that a paid contact number might have restricted access for those with limited means.

The initiative responds to growing concerns about contaminated food, which has been linked to the deaths of several schoolchildren in various South African communities. This col
laborative effort follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call on 15 November 2024 for enhanced consumer education on food safety and labeling, urging citizens to report suspicions of fake or expired foodstuffs to the NCC.

The NCC is expected to lead investigations into the sale of fake and expired foodstuffs nationwide. Ensuring the contact centre is accessible to a broad spectrum of society is crucial for reporting food contamination incidents promptly and enabling an effective response, according to the commission’s statement.

ACT CEO Nomvuyiso Batyi praised the NCC for its proactive approach to addressing food safety concerns and collaborating with the telecommunications sector to combat the crisis. Batyi confirmed that ACT members offering voice calls have agreed to NCC’s request for a zero-rated contact number for three months, starting 1 December 2024. This measure aims to assist the NCC and consumers are encouraged to engage with network operators if challenges arise.

Consumers can lodge complaints thr
ough the NCC’s e-Service portal at https://eservice.thencc.org.za/ or provide tip-offs via the hotline at 012 065 1940.