JOHANNESBURG – There’s a colored man who goes around inspecting shops and poses as an Environmental Health Practitioner (Health Inspector).
He leaves behind an ID copy and goes by the name of John Duran.
He wears a nametag on which the words Health Inspector are engraved. This man targets food premises, conducts inspections on premises and claims that he was called from Durban to come and work for the City of Johannesburg because of problems and staff shortages the city experiences.
He removes documentations from the walls, including tax certificates etc, then writes a notice to the shop keeper to apply for a Certificate of Acceptability (COA) and/or business license and provides application forms for it. He then requests payment for the applications and payment for the processing and payment for the certificate/license/permit (the certificate is a duplicate, adjusted, fraudulent document).
He started in the Inner City, where a case was opened at the SAPS, he moved to Joubert Park and then to Fordsburg, where he was arrested, and subsequently released on bail.
A follow-up on the matter was done with the JMPD. Environmental Health was informed that the case was cancelled and the docket is missing from Johannesburg Prison. The Health Department will now request the JMPD to request that the case be reinstated immediately, and the JMPD and SAPS to investigate the matter and open a case for the accused to appear in court. The second case was thrown out of court due to lack of evidence.
The suspect is currently operating in the Randburg and Sandton areas.
The public is advised to know their Environmental Health Practitioners, who have been issued with proper Identification Cards that bear the following information:
The logo of the city
A photograph of the official
Name of the official
His/her designation
Identity number and
SAP number (Employee number)
NB: The Certificate of Acceptability is free, other health licenses and permits have to be paid for at a specific pay point and not by giving money to the area EHP.
For more information and clarity please contact Environmental Health at 011 376 8523 or 011 681 8060.
