The Stellenbosch University (SU) Legal Services Division, in association with the Language Centre and Esselaar Attorneys, recently launched an online user guide to the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
The guide was created especially for the SU environment to increase awareness regarding legislation that applies to the University and its activities.
What is the Consumer Protection Act?
The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 took effect on 1 April 2011 and affects how all companies and institutions conduct business. It protects consumers' rights by regulating marketing activities and the way in which contracts and information documents are drafted. "The CPA has given us the opportunity to re-evaluate how we communicate and interact with our consumers," says Gerhard Lipp, Director: Legal Services.
The University is a service provider or supplier to its consumers, who primarily consist of students, but also include other private and public parties. The online guide was created to help ensure that all interactions with clients and consumers are as consumer-friendly as possible.
Lessons learned from creating the guide
There are several advantages to working with other SU departments and pooling resources for a project such as this. Legal Services and the Language Centre have formed an excellent partnership, which will hopefully be developed even further in future.
The guide and concept could serve as a blueprint for other legislation that also applies to SU.
The guide is a good example of a plain-language document – not only on an editorial level, but also in terms of how technology is used and how the site invites users to interact with the information.
What does the online guide offer?
Staff will be able to access the guide from the Legal Services website. The guide serves as a guidance tool to help staff decide on marketing strategiesor show them how to draft contracts, documents or forms meant for consumers. It also offers information on SU's consumers and their rights, marketing practices, and the various steps to drafting a contract. However, the online guide is not a substitute for legal advice and Legal Services should still be contacted whenever staff require legal advice or are unsure of something contained in the guide.
