Competition Commission Moves to Prosecute PG Glass and Glasfit for Price-Fixing Scheme

• Glass manufacturers PG Glass and Glasfit allegedly operated a cartel to fix automotive glass prices since 2004
• The Competition Commission seeks prosecution for the violations of the Competition Act of 1998
• Dismantling the cartel could lead to fairer pricing for consumers and insurance companies

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

The Competition Commission has found that PG Glass and Glasfit allegedly operated a cartel, coordinating to fix the prices of automotive glass. The commission referred the complaint to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution.

The two companies colluded in the market

According to BusinessTech, the complaint comes after allegations that the two companies colluded in the market for the distribution and fitment of automotive glass to end-user customers and insurance companies. PG Glass, one of South Africa's largest and most iconic glass manufacturers and installers, has a history dating back to 1897. Glasfit, a younger company, was founded in 1989. The investigation revealed that the companies allegedly entered into an agreement or engaged in a concerted practice to raise the prices of automotive glass products by the same percentage point each year.

Read also

Farmers question government's response to FMD, urge accountability from Minister Steenhuisen

The conduct is said to have started in 2004 and continues to this day. Commissioner Doris Tshepe said automotive glass forms part of industrial intermediary products, a priority sector for the commission. She added that dismantling the alleged cartel would benefit both consumers and insurance companies by ensuring fairer pricing. The commission has asked the Competition Tribunal to declare that PG Glass and Glasfit contravened the Competition Act of 1998 and suggested that each company be hit with an administrative penalty equal to 10% of its turnover.

Other business-related stories

Briefly News also reported that the liquidation of Tongaat Hulett will hit 15,446 sugarcane farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, the South African Farmers Development Association (SAFDA) has warned. The farmers supply three mills in Tongaat (Maidstone), Gingindlovu (Amatigulu) and Empangeni (Felixton). SAFDA chairperson Dr Siyabonga Madlala said the collapse places small-scale growers at greatest risk. He said they are expected deliver more than one million tons of sugarcane in the season that ends on 31 March 2026 and generate about R845.7 million in revenue.

Read also

“He causes unnecessary traffic”: Mysol’s luxury convoy in Marikana leaves Mzansi fuming

Volkswagen in South Africa (VWSA) faces uncertainty, with the company warning that 2026 could determine its future in the country. VWSA directly employs about 4,000 people. Volkswagen Group Africa Chair and MD Martina Biene said she wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa before Christmas, stressing that an investment decision from the parent company for the next project was critical this year.

The closure of British American Tobacco South Africa’s Heidelberg manufacturing plant has intensified criticism of the government’s failure to curb the country’s booming illicit cigarette trade, with industry watchdog Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) warning that years of inaction have now cost hundreds of jobs. British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) confirmed on 15 January 2026 that it will cease production at its Heidelberg.

Source: Briefly News