The Competition Commission want an administrative penalty of 10% of Hendrik Pistorius & CO's turnover over the period of the alleged price-fixing
A company owned by the family of Oscar Pistorius has been hit by allegations of price-fixing, the Sunday Independent reported.
The Competition Commission has filed an application to have the company, Hendrik Pistorius & Co, originally founded by the Paralympian’s grandfather, fined for allegedly being part of a price-fixing cartel in the agricultural industry since 1995.
They want an administrative penalty of 10% of the company’s turnover over the period of the alleged price-fixing, related to fertiliser products, to be paid.
“The respondents contravened section 4(1)(b)(i) of the [Competition] Act by entering into agreements and/or concerted practice to fix the amounts of the agents’ commissions,” said the commission in its founding affidavit.
Legal representatives of the company, currently run by Leo, who is the uncle of Pistorius, have disputed the allegations and said the matter was subjudice.
“The complaint relates to allegations by a disgruntled customer and previous business partner dating back to 2008 and all (and every) allegations of price-fixing is absolutely denied,” the newspaper was told by the company’s legal representatives.
Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide in connection with the shooting and killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 and is currently serving a five-year jail sentence. – Sapa