The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) has closed the 2025 financial year on a high note, reporting both a surge in consumer complaints handled and significant strides in advocacy, accessibility, and outreach.
Opening the organisation’s annual report presentation, Business Day’s acting editor Tiisetso Motsoeneng underscored the CGSO’s unique role in SA’s consumer protection ecosystem.
“We are not a hotline for complaints. We investigate, we analyse, and we provoke debate — but we do not resolve disputes like CGSO would,” he said, drawing a clear distinction between the publication’s mandate and other industry bodies such as the CGSO or the National Consumer Commission (NCC).
A decade of growth and a broadened mandate
In her address, CGSO CEO Queen Munyai reflected on the organisation’s origins in 2013, rooted in Section 82(6) of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which established the CGSO as an impartial dispute resolution body between suppliers and consumers.
The Consumer Goods and Services Industry (CGSI) Code requires the CGSO to produce and publish an annual report within six months of the close of its financial year, which runs from March 1 to the end of February.
Our aim is to make the Consumer Protection Act more than a document — it must live in the daily realities of South Africans
— Queen Munyai, CGSO CEO
The 2025 financial year marked a significant expansion of CGSO’s footprint. Key achievements include:
- The establishment of three satellite offices at the Fort Hare University’s East London and Dikeni campuses, and the University of Venda.
- Strengthened partnerships with universities, integrating postgraduate law students into Legal Aid clinics to assist with complaint resolutions and community outreach programmes.
- Greater use of indigenous languages to improve accessibility.
“Our aim is to make the CPA more than a document — it must live in the daily realities of South Africans,” Munyai said.
Performance in numbers
Operating with a lean team, the CGSO closed 12,430 complaints — up from 10,140 in the previous year — and facilitated R11.9m in refunds to consumers. The call centre managed to close to 40,000 interactions via calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages, while 62% of complaints were resolved within 60 days.
Complaint categories remained consistent with previous years:
- 17% — Goods defective within six months.
- 17% — Late or unreasonable delivery.
- 14% — Agreement cancellations.
- 12% — Goods not as per order.
- The remaining share covered poor-quality services, defective goods after six months, contractual disputes, overcharging, and service delays.
Late delivery disputes continue to dominate, often violating Section 19 of the CPA, which allows consumers to claim refunds.
Online transactions accounted for 30% of all complaints, with electronics and appliances (18%) and satellite/telecom services (16%) topping the product categories.
The accessibility challenge
The internet remains the most common way consumers find the CGSO (41%), followed by referrals from friends (31%), legal advisers (7%), and the NCC (7%). Despite the growth in outreach, 18% of cases could not be resolved due to non-cooperation from suppliers.
Fiscal prudence and clean governance
The CGSO reported cash reserves covering 17 months of operations, expenditure within budget, and a clean audit (the 11th since inception). Munyai attributed this stability to prudent financial management and membership fees from participating suppliers.
Panel insights: human-centred redress in a digital age
A closing panel, moderated by MC Zanele Morrison, explored the evolving challenges of consumer dispute resolution. Panellists included Munyai, CGSO Ombudsman Liaquat “Lee” Soobrathi, CGSO Chairperson Michael Lawrence, and NCC Acting Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu.
Ratshisusu cautioned against over-reliance on artificial intelligence in complaint handling, emphasising that “human-centred redress remains faster and more effective”.
Lawrence stressed the importance of accessibility in curbing consumer fraud, while Soobrathi highlighted the necessity of active participation from both suppliers and consumers.
Munyai reiterated the CGSO’s commitment to ongoing CPA training.
Looking ahead
In 2026, the CGSO plans to monitor the performance of its satellite offices, deepen partnerships with law faculties, integrate AI tools for reporting, and intensify advocacy efforts.
For Munyai, the message is clear: “Consumer rights are only as strong as the awareness that surrounds them.”
This article was sponsored by the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud.
