BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MBABANE – A product recalled in another COMESA country could now trigger a regional response that reaches Eswatini shelves, giving consumers stronger protection as the new competition and consumer protection regime takes effect.
That is the practical meaning of the COMESA Competition and Consumer Protection Regulations, 2025, according to Mancoba Mabuza, Advocacy and Communications Manager at the Eswatini Competition Commission, speaking on Eswatini TV’s Enterprise Week – Market View.
The regulations, which took effect on 5 December 2025, replaced the previous 2004 COMESA competition framework and formally renamed the regional institution the COMESA Competition and Consumer Commission (CCCC). The new framework places consumer protection alongside competition as part of the CCCC’s mandate.
Mabuza said a stakeholder sensitisation workshop was held to help legal practitioners, regulators, government ministries, the media, academia and consumer organisations understand the changes and how they affect their respective roles.
“So basically, this was just to take our stakeholders through what this means and how to go about navigating them,” Mabuza said.
For an ordinary consumer, the significance can be as simple as knowing when a product on a local shop shelf has been identified as unsafe elsewhere in the region.
Mabuza explained that where a company operates across several COMESA countries and a product is recalled in one country, information can be shared so that consumers in other affected countries, including Eswatini, can be warned.
He said authorities could also engage the company to ensure that affected products are removed from shelves where necessary.
“Our choice is to sensitise the local consumer and to make sure that they are safe, and that they get the communication,” he said.
The benefits go beyond product recalls.
According to Mabuza, Eswatini can contribute to regional investigations when companies operating across several countries have a footprint in the Kingdom. The country’s officials can also benefit from regional expertise, training and capacity building.
He said this cooperation has become increasingly important as businesses operate across borders and in an increasingly digital marketplace.
The new CCCC framework gives the regional commission powers to monitor and investigate anti competitive business practices, unfair trade practices and mergers affecting the COMESA market, while also strengthening its consumer protection role.
At national level, Mabuza said the Eswatini Competition Commission is seeing businesses increasingly coming on board as awareness of competition law grows.
“We are gradually seeing an increase in terms of their compliance level,” he said.
He explained that compliance should not be viewed simply as a legal obligation, but as part of building an economy where businesses compete fairly, improve their products and create opportunities.
“What is the competition? It’s quality products, it’s innovation because companies begin to innovate, and then the economy grows, and then they employ more people,” Mabuza said.
For consumers, that competition can mean greater choice, improved quality and increased confidence in the marketplace.
Mabuza said businesses, regulators and consumers must therefore work together to create a fair marketplace.
“By complying with competition laws, you are essentially contributing to economic development in the country,” he said.
As the CCCC begins operating under its expanded 2025 mandate, Eswatini’s participation in the regional system could mean that consumer protection increasingly extends beyond national borders helping ensure that emaSwati are not left behind when a competition or consumer safety issue crosses into the Kingdom.
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(Courtesy Pic)
