Regulatory Affairs Market Research in South Africa

Regulatory Affairs Market Research

Regulatory affairs in South Africa plays out in specialised forums — ICASA, NERSA, the Competition Commission, the FSCA, SAHPRA, the NCR, and a thickening layer of sector regulators — each with its own procedural conventions and evidentiary appetite. Meraki Research produces submissions, economic evidence, and expert reports that hold up under regulator questioning and Competition Tribunal scrutiny. We write for respondents, intervenors, and regulators themselves.

Why Regulatory Affairs Research Matters

• Competition Commission market inquiries and abuse-of-dominance investigations turn on econometric evidence that must survive adversarial testing in the Tribunal
• Sector regulator tariff determinations — NERSA MYPD, ICASA spectrum, Ports Regulator tariff — rest on cost studies, demand models, and benchmarking that respondents must interrogate
• The shift toward ex-ante regulation in digital markets, financial services, and energy has raised the stakes on consultation submissions, which increasingly shape the final instrument
• Cross-border regulatory divergence means operators in Southern Africa manage exposure across SADC jurisdictions with different evidentiary expectations
• Regulators themselves increasingly commission independent research to buttress decisions that will be challenged on review, which creates demand for genuinely independent analysts

Our Regulatory Affairs Research Services

Economic submissions and expert reports

Submissions and reports for Competition Commission, Tribunal, and sector regulator proceedings, prepared to standards required for cross-examination and review applications.

Market and industry studies

Detailed sectoral studies for market inquiries, abuse-of-dominance investigations, and merger regulation, covering market definition, entry conditions, and competitive dynamics.

Regulatory impact analysis

Ex-ante impact analysis for draft regulations, covering costs, competition effects, and unintended consequences, structured to inform regulator deliberation.

Tariff and cost-of-service studies

Bottom-up and benchmark cost studies for tariff determinations across electricity, ports, rail, telecommunications, and water, structured to the applicable regulatory methodology.

Consumer and customer research for regulatory submissions

Evidence on consumer harm, switching behaviour, and customer preferences commissioned in anticipation of regulator challenge on empirical foundations.

Review and appeal support research

Research supporting judicial review of regulator decisions or appeals to the Competition Appeal Court and High Court, focused on the evidentiary record and procedural fairness.

How We Approach Research in This Sector

Regulatory research is written for a named forum. Before work begins, we confirm whether the submission goes to a market inquiry panel, a Tribunal hearing, a NERSA consultation, or a High Court review — because each has distinct evidentiary conventions. Analysis is peer-reviewed internally, economic models are documented to a standard that allows respondent challenge, and expert authors are available for cross-examination. We do not make submissions we cannot defend.

Why Choose Meraki Research for Regulatory Affairs?

• Senior analysts with track records in Competition Commission, NERSA, ICASA, and FSCA proceedings
• Working relationships with regulatory counsel at the major competition and administrative-law firms
• Willingness to testify and be cross-examined — authorship is always named, and experts are prepared for Tribunal-style examination
• Methodological conservatism in proceedings where overreach gets findings discounted rather than accepted

What We Deliver