Police have seized more than R160 million in counterfeit goods nationwide, including over R28 million from a Gauteng manufacturing plant, in a coordinated operation that exposes the scale of South Africa’s fight against illicit trade networks.
In Johannesburg on March 28, police dismantled a counterfeit manufacturing plant in the CBD, confiscating goods and label-printing machines valued at over R28 million during coordinated operations across Gauteng.
Operations targeted networks producing and distributing fake merchandise in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Meyerton, Vanderbijlpark, and Vereeniging.
Spokesperson Lt Col Amanda van Wyk said: “These operations form part of ongoing national efforts to address the illegal trade in counterfeit and illicit goods in the country.”
Van Wyk added that in Bellville on 24 March, officers seized over R117 million in counterfeit goods, including branded clothing, sports apparel, sneakers, caps, sunglasses, and watches worth more than 130 000 items in total. In KwaZulu-Natal, police seized counterfeit cigarettes worth over R15 million in Sydenham, highlighting the severe economic and public risks posed by these illegal operations.
“These operations not only undermine the economy of South Africa, but also threaten consumer health and safety, infringe on intellectual property rights, and erode legitimate businesses,” she said.
Van Wyk added that the SAPS’s coordinated efforts across multiple provinces demonstrate the police’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks profiting from counterfeit goods, while protecting both the public and legitimate businesses.
The joint operations were led nationally by the National Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit, with collaboration from the Western Cape Counterfeit and Illicit Goods Unit, Crime Intelligence, the National Intervention Unit (NIU), Public Order Policing (POP), officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs Division, and brand protectors.
The Star
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