The Competition Commission has wielded its big stick to keep uniform prices in check, but parents are still feeling the sting in the face of rising inflation.
As inland schools prepare to return on Wednesday, followed by their coastal counterparts a week later, parents are lamenting basic uniform costs despite efforts by some suppliers to keep increases to a minimum.
A ruling by the Competition Tribunal in November 2021 effectively ended exclusive contracts between schools and uniform suppliers.
It confirmed, as an order, a consent agreement with major uniform supplier McCullagh & Bothwell, in terms of which the retailer agreed to “no longer enter into exclusive supply agreements with schools and school groups, and to change existing supply agreements to this end”.
The ruling meant that since January last year, parents were no longer forced to buy school uniforms from a sole supplier.
Commission spokesperson Siyabulela Makunga told the Sunday Times no uniform pricing complaints had been received since it opened on Wednesday.
But as part of its drive to ensure compliance with guidelines, the commission investigated 190 complaints last year.
“When schools adjusted their conduct, 100 cases were resolved. The other 90 were closed due to lack of relevance or inability to receive more information from complainants.
“We undertook a national survey between August and October 2022 to test compliance, targeting public and private schools. The results revealed acceptable levels of compliance ... though there is room for improvement.
“Schools are not prohibited from entering into agreements with suppliers. The guidelines discourage long-term, exclusive supplier contracts and encourage a competitive procurement process.
"They also encourage a mix of generic and branded items to enable parents to shop around ....”
Parents will most likely have to pay more for uniforms in 2023 unless their school governing bodies negotiated agreements with suppliers to fix prices over a longer period of time
— Juané van der Merwe, deputy CEO, Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools
Despite this, two major governing body organisations warned soaring inflation would hit parents’ pockets hard.
Juané van der Merwe, deputy CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas), said: “A soaring inflation rate is likely to affect consumer prices, including the price of school uniforms.
"Parents will most likely have to pay more for uniforms in 2023 unless their school governing bodies negotiated agreements with suppliers to fix prices over a longer period of time.”
Matakanye Matakanye, national secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, said: “Parents will pay more this year, the reason being that these uniform suppliers are operating within the South African economy where everything has gone up.”
One of the oldest and largest suppliers in Durban, Gem Schoolwear, which supplies more than 500 state and private schools, is seeing queues of parents and school-goers.
Manager Muhammed Pandor said the business had to increase uniform prices by about 9% per item from 2021 to 2022.
Cost including VAT of basic items for a 10-year-old boy and girl at private or public school
Dress - R205
Trousers - R165
Shirt/Blouse - R95
Skirt - R130
Blazer - R410
Shoes - R260
Source: Gem Schoolwear
— IN NUMBERS:
“The cost is determined by fabric, trim and labour. In essence, the cost is the same, especially if you are using quality fabric for private and state schools. Labour depends on whether you are paying a union rate or a sweatshop rate. We pay the union rate and use the best fabric available."
Pandor said imported fabric and that from some local suppliers had risen by 30%, with shoe raw material suppliers also increasing prices.
The increase was acceptable compared with those for other items in the marketplace, he said, adding that customers had accepted it.
Zamaswazi Mzolo, guardian to her seven-year-old nephew Okuhle said she had to budget about R4,000 for uniforms.
“He is going to a new school and we had to buy the whole uniform from scratch. It's very expensive. We were just complaining that we paid more than R500 for a bag we know is not going to last six months.
“What is also frustrating is that we don't have options regarding where to buy the uniform. Some schools indicate that you must buy [it at a specific shop] and when you get there, it's expensive. Private schools are very specific about where you can buy uniforms,” said Mzolo.
Mari Lategan, deputy CEO at Curro Holdings, which has a vast network of independent schools in South Africa, said: “Curro’s uniforms are mainly sourced through an independent contracted procurement company, Grit Procurement. Grit was able to contain uniform cost increases for 2022/3 at about 2% below the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI).
'Unisex uniforms can provide a safe environment for pupils'
The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (Fedsas) believes gender-neutral uniforms provide a safe learning environment for children of any sexual orientation.
This comes as schools prepare to open for the new year and amid debate about the department of basic education’s guidelines for the socio-educational inclusion of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics.
According to the guidelines, schools should provide non-gender-specific toilets and changerooms, with individual stalls or cubicles that provide privacy. Teachers should stop gender-segregated practices, such as separating boys and girls into different lines, and gender-neutral uniforms should be available.
Juané van der Merwe, deputy CEO of Fedsas, said school governing bodies must “demonstrate earnestness, objectivity and responsibility, and, within the framework of the constitution and court judgments, consider how learners can be reasonably accommodated to create an environment where the learner can exercise his/her rights while receiving education within a disciplined and purposeful school environment.
“By using unisex uniforms, schools can achieve their primary objective — providing quality education — while also providing a safe environment for pupils of any sexual orientation, religious belief or culture to exercise their rights.”
Last year LGBTQI advocacy group Triangle Project said: “Boys should be allowed to wear a dress as part of their school uniform. Schools need to adopt dress codes that allow for gender-neutral uniforms and creative combinations of clothing items, which any learner should be able to wear regardless of their gender identity or sex.”
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