The Competition Commission (Commission) said in a statement on Wednesday that they welcomed the ruling of the Competition Appeal Court (CAC), handed down on 16 January 2025, in which an appeal and review lodged by Takata South Africa (Takata SA) against the decision of the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) was dismissed with costs.
The Commission said that In June 2018, the Commission referred Takata Corporation (“Takata Corp”) and its erstwhile South African subsidiary, Takata SA, to the Tribunal for prosecution on 21 instances of collusive conduct that involved price fixing, market division and collusive tendering. “Takata SA subsequently excepted to all 21 referrals on the grounds that each referral failed to disclose a cause of action.”
The Commission added that the CAC judgment effectively paves the way for the case against Takata to be heard on merits by the Tribunal.
Reuters reported that the South African competition watchdog charged Takata Corp with price fixing in 2018.
The Competition Commission said Takata worked with other firms to fix prices, divide the market and collude in their bidding for four different seat belts and airbags contracts with three auto makers.
The Commission said the alleged violation of competition rules took place between 2007 and 2008.
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