Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to commend President Jacob Zuma for signing the Competition Amendment Bill into law, because now South Africa is in line with international standards. In a country where millions of our people live in dire poverty we, as lawmakers, cannot allow some businesses to prey on their vulnerability. It was because of this concern that the ID, two years ago, submitted the Private Member's Bill to Parliament.
There has been much talk about the constitutionality of the Bill, with some saying that the President must take the Bill to the Constitutional Court. That is not the job of the President. Now that the Bill has been signed into law, any business can contest it in the Constitutional Court.
This is A defining moment in our battle to hold company directors criminally liable for anticompetitive behaviour. It marks the beginning of a new era of business accountability, and there is no reason why businesses and their directors should be left out of our national project to create a law-abiding society.
Over the past few years, directors of some of the biggest staple food suppliers have shown contempt for the ordinary consumer and the ID sincerely hopes that the amended Act will provide some justice and act as a deterrent. Thank you. [Applause.]