POLICE have arrested the owner of a factory manufacturing face masks in Glen Anil for price gouging and violating the Conditions of Employment; and Occupational and Safety Act.
Members of the Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Consumer Protection Unit conducted the raid on Sunday morning.
According to MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, 14 employees of the company had been locked up since last Monday by the owner, believed to be a foreign national.
“They were forced to manufacture hundreds of masks to meet the demand caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. During our unannounced visits to various retail shops and pharmacies, we discovered that members of the public are forced to pay up to R780 for one mask.
Read also: Durban North SAPS arrest those not respecting nationwide lockdown
Dube-Ncube said the workers were subjected to inhumane conditions.
“Inspectors from the department’s Consumer Protection Unit, who are investigating complaints of the violation of consumer rights and price hikes, saved the lives of the 14 workers who were subjected to inhumane conditions. The owner of the factory has been arrested and inspectors from the Department of Employment and Labour are conducting an investigation,” she said.
The workers are currently being transported by SAPS to various townships in the greater Durban area.
“We will continue to enforce our zero-tolerance policy towards price gougers who are using the coronavirus outbreak to sell much-needed food and other products at inflated prices. Turning a blind eye to these injustices will be tantamount to the abdication of our mandate as public representatives,” she said.
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She also assured the public that senior officials from Consumer Protection Services are still currently processing hundreds of price-hiking complaints.
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