Fake review law in South Africa, and what it means for your business
By ReputationKiln Editorial · Published
South Africa addresses fake reviews through general consumer law rather than a dedicated statute. The Consumer Protection Act of 2008 prohibits false, misleading or deceptive representations about goods and services, and posting or commissioning fake testimonials falls squarely within that. The National Consumer Commission is the regulator, and a matter can be referred to the National Consumer Tribunal, which can impose administrative fines of up to ten per cent of annual turnover or one million rand, whichever is greater, while the Advertising Regulatory Board handles misleading advertising, including review content presented as advertising.
What the law gives you is a real, if general, basis to challenge fabricated reviews. What it does not yet have, by comparison with the United Kingdom or Australia, is a track record of dedicated fake-review enforcement, which is worth being honest about.
Who enforces it, and the record
The Tribunal has shown it will use its maximum standard penalty in consumer cases, fining a major telecoms operator a million rand in 2023 for unconscionable contract conduct, and the Commission has run compliance-notice sweeps against non-compliant suppliers across the country. But no South African decision specifically on fake online reviews has been publicly reported at the time of writing. The framework clearly covers the conduct; the dedicated enforcement is still nascent.
What it means for you, and the limit
The practical reading for an operator: treat the general deceptive-conduct provisions, and the telecoms precedent on penalties, as the operative risk framework, both as protection if a rival fakes and as exposure if your own setup misleads. The honest limit is that, with little direct precedent, the platforms' own reporting routes and the general consumer and electronic-communications laws are likely to do more for you in the moment than a regulator complaint. The recourse page covers the steps.
Sources
- False, misleading or deceptive representations, including fabricated testimonials, are prohibited; the Tribunal can fine up to 10% of turnover or R1 million. — Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. https://www.gov.za/documents/consumer-protection-act · checked 2026-06-04