<\/p>\n
The operation, conducted by law enforcement agencies with support from the Public Order Policing Unit, the SA Revenue Service (SARS) Customs Division and brand protection representatives, targeted several shops and buildings suspected of trading in counterfeit merchandise.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Police Spokesperson Colonel Amanda van Wyk said more than 62 000 counterfeit items were confiscated during the raids. The seized goods included high-end branded clothing, footwear, cosmetics, watches, jewellery and sunglasses.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Van Wyk said the operation forms part of ongoing nationwide efforts to disrupt the manufacture, distribution and sale of counterfeit and illicit goods. “The operation forms part of ongoing nationwide efforts to dismantle the illegal trade, manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit and illicit goods in the country,” said van Wyk.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
She warned that counterfeit goods violate the intellectual property rights of legitimate brand owners while also posing serious risks to consumers. “Community members are reminded that counterfeit goods infringe on the intellectual property rights of legitimate brand owners. Also, it poses serious health and safety risks to consumers,” said van Wyk.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to van Wyk, counterfeit products are often produced and distributed outside regulated systems, with little regard for quality and safety standards. “These products are often manufactured and distributed outside regulated systems with no regard for quality standards, safety, or lawful trade practices, and legitimate manufacturers and retailers lose market share to illegal traders, leading to reduced production and job losses,” she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–SABC\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44030,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-48348","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South African (SA) authorities have seized counterfeit goods worth more than $10 million during a series of enforcement operations in Johannesburg's inner city over the past week.","published_date":"","news_description":"South African (SA) authorities have seized counterfeit goods worth more than $10 million during a series of enforcement operations in Johannesburg's inner city over the past week.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48350,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48348\/revisions\/48350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=48348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}