Law enforcement officials conduct counterfeit goods raid in Joburg - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.
The South African Police Service National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit, together with the South African Revenue Service, Sars embarked on a raid on shops suspected of selling counterfeit goods in the. . .
The South African Police Service National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit, together with the South African Revenue Service, Sars embarked on a raid on shops suspected of selling counterfeit goods in the Johannesburg CBD on Tuesday. This was part of a multi-disciplinary takedown of illicit trade. But outside the closed shops, South Africans were left counting the cost. A crowd of angry people gathered outside foreign national-owned shops in the Johannesburg CBD on Wednesday afternoon, after the South African Police Service’s National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit, together with Sars and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) searched the premises. According to SAPS National Spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Van Wyk, the raids were carried out under a search warrant to uphold the law, as specified in the Counterfeit Goods Act of 1997. “It might seem like an innocent sector, but the in counterfeit goods is of a serious nature. It infringes the intellectual property rights of the various brands, protected under law, the counterfeit acts law, also the customs and excise act. And as the SAPS, we are here to enforce the law, and that is what we are doing,” says Van Wyk. But for the angry onlookers gathered outside, this was more than just law enforcement. It was about jobs, income, and survival. Meanwhile, for buyers, the shops are about price. Some travelled from other provinces to stock up in bulk. They say they don’t care if the goods are illicit because they are cheaper and affordable. Meanwhile, the NRCS was also on site. The body, a Department of Trade, Industry and Competition agency enforces product safety and technical standards in the country. An official wanted to remain anonymous. “We do stop containers at the port of entrance. So, we also do market intelligence and identify the product that are already in the market. So, those are some of the activities that we are doing. We are sending a message to those who are selling that we will come to you and get you. You cannot hide,” says the official. SABC Newstried talking to owners of these shops but with no luck. Meanwhile the SAPS commented. “You can imagine that when you have a contingent of law enforcement that comes to your shops, that it will not be accepted very easily, especially when you know that you are illegally trading in these items. But we are here, hard at work. Our men and women in blue supported by various role players, and each of these departments are executing their respective mandates,” says a member of the SAPS. Van Wyk added that the goal was to disrupt the supply chain of counterfeit and illicit goods that has cost the South African economy billions of rands. “Look, in the last financial year, we have seized more than a billion counterfeit items across the country. And in terms of convictions, unfortunately, I do not have that number for me at this stage, but these individuals (are) all facing charges. They’re all going through the court procedures and all of that,” she says. By Wednesday afternoon, officers had seized clothing, electronics, and cosmetics and closed several premises.