SA is top smuggling destination
JOBURG - The high demand for counterfeit and illegally imported goods in South Africa has led to the country being a top haven for these illicit items.
The Department of Trade and Industry noted that last year the South African Revenue Service conducted over 25 000 seizures and confiscated illegal goods valued at R2.6 billion.
Customs operations secured an average of 26 busts a day at ports and detected counterfeit cigarettes worth R37.8 million, counterfeit clothing worth R155 million and pirated CDs and DVDs worth R671 million.
However, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said that, despite enforcement agencies’ success in curbing illegal trade from infiltrating South Africa, the continued demand for these illegal products has undermined their efforts.
Davies said, “Counterfeit and illegally imported goods deprive honest workers in the creative industry of jobs and sustainable income. Manufacturing, selling or buying these goods is not only illegal; it literally takes the food out of the mouths of honest businesses, up and coming artists, entrepreneurs and their families.”
Illegal traders often smuggled goods into the country by using identity theft, falsified documents and ghost businesses, which cost the economy billions of rand in lost revenue.
“By buying pirated goods, consumers are not just saving a few rand, they are effectively supporting a worldwide franchise of criminal activity,” said Davies.
The Department of Trade and Industry and Proudly SA has called on the public to boycott pirated goods and urged consumers to support local industries by buying original and genuine products from legal and reputable retailers and shops.
