The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has raided several shops reportedly selling counterfeit and expired foodstuffs around the city.
Videos have been doing the rounds on social media exposing spaza shops that sell fake food products and food which has been expired from as far back as 2015.
Police in the Northern Cape recently closed a counterfeit factory worth over R70-million following a sting operation.
Eastern Cape police have also confiscated counterfeit branded clothing with an estimated value of over R 3 million. People have been urged to report the sale of counterfeit items to the National Consumer Commission.
The Commission’s spokesperson Trevor Hattingh says, “We have been gathering some intelligence in conjunction with the NRCS, among others. We know who is behind some of the manufacturing and distribution. We would want to raid them as soon as possible but we are still engaging with the other partners and once we are ready we will go out in full force and start removing these items to destroy them.”
JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minaar has warned communities to beware of counterfeit and expired foods items which could be a health risk.
“We don’t want to accuse a particular group of people but it is people who have small businesses in low income areas. They are taking advantage of the fact that people are desperate and buy these items and it is in areas where people are not being checked on regularly, they get away with expired items,” says Minaar.
