Johannesburg - Joburg metro police department (JMPD) officials have waged a war against counterfeit goods and have roped in brand experts to ensure that fake items are removed from shops and streets.
Joburg’s monthly crime stats, released this week, showed that last month alone, counterfeit goods worth more than R80million were seized.
“A couple of weeks ago, JMPD confiscated almost R80m worth of counterfeit goods from one building alone in the inner city. Millions more worth of goods were confiscated in other buildings, also in the inner city,” mayor Herman Mashaba said.
He said that in just two years, the JMPD had been part of law enforcement efforts that have uncovered and confiscated counterfeit goods worth a street value of R250m.
“In addition to mass-producing fake goods like clothing and shoes, these criminals have now moved into producing fake medicine, including antiretroviral drugs.
“Moreover, the more than R80m in fake goods means an incredible loss to the national fiscus in lost taxes. It also makes one wonder how these goods escaped the country's borders and customs agency.”
Mashaba said that for as long as counterfeit goods remained on the streets, the country would face dire consequences, including the lack of growth in the economy, investments and job creation.
“More crucially, fake goods mean that South Africans lose out on jobs. The reality is that producers and traders of these counterfeit goods do not employ South Africans.
“What is even more disheartening is that the proliferation of counterfeit goods scares away potential foreign investors. No reputable company will invest in a country that cannot protects its intellectual property,” Mashaba noted.
He said successes continued to be registered in other areas, including preventing more counterfeit goods from hitting the streets.
“We have also roped in brand experts who are able to tell us what is fake and what is genuine. Without these experts, we would not be able to tell the difference, and we hope to intensify the operations to curb the crime in the city."
@smashaba