Although we do not hear about it all the time, the Competition Commission is working on making school uniform and stationary prices more affordable.
The Competition Commission has been working with the Department of Basic Education, schools, and suppliers for five years to ensure that everyone is aware of the commission’s guidelines for school uniforms and learning materials.
So far, the commission has not prosecuted anyone for not sticking to the guidelines, although it has reached settlements with various schools and large school uniform suppliers following its 2017 investigation.
Meanwhile, the commission continued to receive complaints from parents and suppliers, recording 490 complaints between 2020 and 2025, and resolved 465 complaints related to school uniforms and learning materials.
But now, the commission is getting tough on this issue that affects the pockets of all parents in the country.
“The commission consistently indicated that it is not in the best interest of schools to be going through legal processes due to non-compliance, and that we would give schools enough time to implement the necessary measures to ensure that they comply with the guidelines. It is fair to say that schools have been given sufficient time to comply with the guidelines.”
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Complaints over uniform suppliers go back to 2010
Since 2010, the Competition Commission has received complaints about schools that signed exclusive supply agreements with specific selected suppliers of school uniforms without any transparent or competitive bidding process, which prevented competition in the market.
Parents had no choice but to pay higher prices for school essentials, and in 2017, the commission initiated an investigation against numerous schools and manufacturers and/or suppliers of school uniforms for the potential abuse of dominance and restrictive anti-competitive practices in the supply of school uniform items nationwide.
In addition, the commission undertook a series of interventions to enhance competition in the procurement of school uniforms and other learning-related goods and services to increase competition in the market and provide parents, guardians and learners by offering more choices, ensuring that they are not compelled to purchase school uniforms or learning materials from exclusively selected suppliers.
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Guidelines raise awareness of uniform and stationery prices
The Competition Commission published a guide for schools, parents and school governing bodies (SGBs) on pro-competitive principles that should be considered for the procurement of school uniforms and learning materials in 2021. The guidelines are available here.
The commission says the guidelines have made a difference by raising awareness of the anti-competitive concerns arising from exclusive supplier agreements and of the impact of this conduct on competition in the market and, consequently, on the prices of school uniforms and learning materials.
A survey conducted by the Competition Commission in 2022 revealed that almost 90% of the schools (public and independent) that participated in the survey were aware of the guidelines. Several schools have adopted the guidelines and implemented measures to ensure compliance.
However, the commission points out that some schools have still not adopted the guidelines, citing various challenges, including that the guidelines are not compulsory, lack of knowledge about the guidelines, lack of participation by the relevant stakeholders in enforcing the guidelines and lack of dedicated personnel to assist with the enforcement of the guidelines on school uniforms and learning material.
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Competition Commission creating tool to track compliance
The Competition Commission says one of the biggest challenges is monitoring schools’ compliance, given the number of schools nationwide. Therefore, the commission is collaborating with the Department of Basic Education to develop a tool that will monitor suppliers and prices of school uniforms to ensure compliance with the guidelines.
Once finalised, the commission says, the tool will be distributed to all schools to assist the commission and the department in determining non-compliance with the guidelines and identifying anticompetitive behaviour in the school uniform market, including excessive pricing and the exclusion of small and medium enterprises.
The commission will use the data received from the tool to ensure fair and competitive pricing of school uniforms and promote the entry and/or expansion of small suppliers in the school uniform market. The tool is expected to be available by the end of 2026.
In the meantime, SGBs, parents, guardians and suppliers can lodge complaints with the Competition Commission by sending a WhatsApp message to 084 743 000 with a brief description of the complaint. Stakeholders should complete a CC1 form available on www.compcom.co.za and email the completed form with a brief description of the conduct or concerns to [email protected].