Cheap and non-compliant plumbing products are putting pressure on South Africa’s plumbing sector, with legitimate businesses struggling to compete with products that can enter the market at lower costs.
The Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB) is calling for greater accountability across the manufacturing, import and retail supply chain, arguing that the burden of compliance should not fall on plumbers alone.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) announced on September 14 that it had received an application from PIRB for accreditation as a consumer protection group under Section 78 of the Consumer Protection Act.
PIRB’s application focuses on promoting safe, ethical and compliant plumbing work, products and services, while addressing systemic non-compliance that could threaten consumer safety, public health and water conservation.
However, for small businesses, the issue also raises concerns about competition and the cost of complying with standards.
Local manufacturers face cheaper competition
PIRB has warned that non-compliant imported plumbing products are creating an uneven playing field for local manufacturers that invest in producing compliant goods.
“The unfair competition created by non-compliant imports is crippling South Africa’s legitimate manufacturing base,” the board said in its application.
Local manufacturers have to carry the costs associated with meeting applicable standards, testing and compliance. Cheaper products that do not meet the same requirements can therefore put pressure on compliant businesses trying to retain customers.
The issue also affects small plumbing contractors.
Customers under financial pressure may choose cheaper quotes without knowing whether the products used meet the required standards.
PIRB said professional plumbers are legally responsible for compliance when products are installed, but argued that accountability should not end with the plumber.
“While the professional plumber is legally accountable for ensuring compliance at the point of installation, the supply chain that feeds noncompliant products into the market largely escapes accountability,” it said.
PIRB targets the supply chain
Under its application, PIRB wants to intensify compliance and education campaigns around the risks and social costs of non-compliant plumbing products.
It also wants to address non-compliance at the manufacturing, import and retail levels through an Industry Code of Good Practice aligned with the Consumer Protection Act.
The board plans to educate suppliers and merchants on their legal obligations and consumer disclosure.
PIRB also proposes providing the NCC and National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) with field intelligence and technical information gathered through its auditing and compliance-monitoring systems.
NCC spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said the application was not simply about dealing with complaints against plumbers.
“The problem that they are trying to solve is not necessarily ensuring that registered members or complaints against registered members are attended to. They are also looking at issues of non-compliance and the impact thereof,” Ntaba said.
The board has more than 9,995 registered plumbers, including 9,017 licensed qualified plumbers, and proposes proactive compliance inspections across all nine provinces.
PIRB said a lack of coordinated enforcement allows unsafe products and practices to persist.
“The absence of coordinated, real-time, proactive enforcement allows unsafe products and practices to persist, creating a system where doing the right thing often comes at a commercial disadvantage,” it said.
Stronger enforcement could help legitimate small plumbing companies compete more fairly in the market.
The NCC is inviting public comments on PIRB’s application, with submissions due at the end of October.
