EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
15
Dr Boni Mehlomakulu, CEO of the
SABS, addressing delegates on the
SABS Perspective.
Africa, but concerns national standards
bodies around the globe.
Throughout the Indaba, speakers addressed
the attendees and worked through various
case studies, where the applicable standards
were scrutinised and debated on their anti-
competitiveness aspects.
Despite these benefits, the process to
develop standards can give rise to a number
of regulatory challenges. Competition law
prohibits vertical and horizontal practices that
have a direct or indirect restrictive impact on
economic growth and market participation.
These prohibited practices range from
collusion, abuses of dominance, price fixing,
and exclusionary practices that deny new
market entrants access to critical markets
and/or resources.
By its nature, the standard-setting process
involves co-ordinated action between a variety
of interested parties in a particular industry,
including potential competitors, aimed at
developing a standard for the setting of
standards for that industry. It is obvious to see
how this could create an environment ripe for
anti-competitive behaviour.
The South African Bureau of Standards
(SABS) sought to leverage the guidance
of the Competition Commission to drive
a conversation to educate technical
committees and internal committee support
teams of the risks inherent in the process,
and together find ways to strengthen the
governance processes and mechanisms to
mitigate some of these risks.
The SABS was honoured to be supported
in the Indaba by the leadership of the
International Standards Organisation (ISO),
in recognition that this narrow intersection
between the standards development process
and competition law is not unique to South
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
KEY POINTS FOR THE DAY
The SABS is the only standards authority
in South Africa, but is not responsible
for regulation. This is the function of
the National Regulator for Compulsory
Specifications (NRCS).
Standards keep consumers safe; they
are not intended to keep suppliers and
manufacturers happy, but rather to ensure
the best interest of the user overall, as well
as to meet the user’s expectation in terms of
the product’s performance.
Currently, a very high percentage of technical
committee participants are competitors, only
servicing their own interests, rather than
those of the intended diverse stakeholders.
Complaints then only arise once the
standards have been published.
Standards may need to be revised based
on the fact that technology has developed
to a level that renders the old technology
redundant or obsolete.
South Africa is falling behind in terms of
technical skills and the ability to participate
in the establishment of standards, due to
technology moving faster than standards
can be established. Processes are slow,
rather than looking to the inclusion of
platforms such as online or social media for
participation.
Too many languages create a barrier to
knowledge and hence, growth.
Continued on page 17 >>
February 2018 Volume 23 I Number 12
February 2018 Volume 23 I Number 12