Nearly a month after IOL initially broke the story of counterfeit condoms being widely sold in spaza shops across Gauteng, the trend has continued unabated, with residents and civic society groups criticizing government for apparent inaction.
In December, IOL investigated the proliferation of the counterfeit condoms which are branded like the Trust condoms’ studded texture variety, with few unnoticeable differences on the light blue packs.
In Pretoria, the sale of the counterfeit condoms is widespread, raising fears of spread of sexually transmitted diseases and boom in unwanted pregnancies as the efficacy of the fake condoms has not been verified.
Other residents told IOL that they are alarmed because judging from posts on social media platforms particularly X, there have been instances in other countries where used condoms were allegedly cleaned and resold in other countries.
“What if the condoms we are using were previously used? I have not slept well after reading the story on IOL last year,” said one resident of Pretoria, identified as Ignatius.
“The problem is that the government rushes to use nice words like ‘we will investigate’ but they go back to their offices and do nothing. People are going to die.”
During a follow-up investigation this month, IOL has established that despite the flurry of reactions, with promises of action and investigations by government, the unscrupulous spaza shop owners have continued to sell the counterfeit condoms, with unsuspecting residents purchasing the products.
Civic rights group #NotInMyName told IOL that if the situation is not resolved, activists will intervene and confront the deviant small businesses.
“As #NotInMyName we are calling on the authorities to act speedily and venomously upon those shops that continue to sell fake condoms,” #NotInMyName secretary general Themba Masango told IOL in an interview.
“Despite those warnings by government, saying they would intervene to curb the sale of these fake condoms, the sale continues unabated. This is putting a health risk on people. The health of people is in danger,” he said.
“This must be stopped quickly. Once again, we are calling on the powers that be, especially the Department of Health and their inspectors to make sure that they swoop heavily on these people. We also have illicit cigarettes and now the illicit condoms are even worse.”
He said if the government inaction continues, community members will take action.
“People who are trying to do the right thing by using condoms in safe sex are being put at risk by these unscrupulous merchants. They are potentially killing our people,” said Masango.
“This must come to and end now. Failure to do so, we will be forced to close the spaza shops ourselves.”
He also appealed to community members to buy condoms from reputable shops and to closely check the packaging.
The IOL investigation also ventured into the heavily populated Hillbrow, where the seemingly fake condoms are on sale from spaza shops, for around R20.
Sex workers who spoke to IOL said they have known about the “fake condoms” for a while, and that is why they insist on having their own condoms for their transactional sex.
Real vs fake - the difference
The clearly visible difference between the two is on the packaging of the box with three sealed condoms.
The ones bought from spaza shops were in a closed box which is not sealed at all. The unsealed boxes can be reused. Condoms of the same Trust brand bought at well-established shops are in tightly sealed boxes which can only be used once.
The other glaring difference is that some packs of the sky-blue studded Trust condoms are written “Compliant with WHO specifications”, with a label stating “studded” or “smooth” while the suspicious packs bought in spaza shops are written “World Health Organization compliant”.
Armed with this information, IOL approached statutory body, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) which is the authority responsible for the promotion and maintenance of standardisation and quality in connection with commodities in the country.
The SABS said it does not regulate the importing of condoms into South Africa and the function falls in the ambit of the national Department of Health.
“Producing condoms in South Africa involves detailed process to ensure they meet safety, quality, and regulatory standards. Requirements for packaging of condoms are stated in ISO 4074:2015/SANS 4074:2017,” the SABS said in its written response to IOL.
On the glaring differences on the packaging, SABS stated that SANS4074 approved condom boxes will be written Compliant with WHO specifications, and they will be labelled “studded” or “smooth”.
“The counterfeit condoms will have World Health Organization compliant and will be dull and very fragile. This means that there is a SABS mark scheme [being] abused by producers of fake condoms."
Regarding the sealing of the individual boxes containing three condoms, SABS said ISO/SANS 4074 details sealing specifications for condom wraps but not for condom boxes.
“However, consumers must shy away from products that are defective or look like their quality has been compromised,” SABS responded.
Additionally, SABS has raised red flags on the boxes of condoms written “World Health Organization compliant”.
“This phrasing might be misleading, as the World Health Organization (WHO) does not directly certify products. Instead, the WHO provides technical specifications for condoms under the WHO/UNPA Prequalification Program for manufacturers to meet. ‘Compliant with WHO specifications’ - this is more precise and suggests adherence to specific WHO recommended standards.
It indicates that the product likely underwent testing to meet WHO’s international safety and quality guidelines."
The national Department of Health has expressed concern following an investigation by IOL that exposed the proliferation of counterfeit condoms in different areas across Gauteng.
Spokesperson for the national Department of Health, Foster Mohale told IOL that the counterfeit condoms do not have verified efficacy.
“As the department we are concerned about these reports of fake condoms because they not certified by the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) through quality control tests to provide the required protection against sexually transmitted infections including the HIV and unplanned pregnancies,” Mohale said on Saturday.
Condoms are one of the most viable and safe methods of contraception, which carry the promise of safe sex.
“Counterfeit condoms pose severe public health risks, including the failure to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancies, thus putting the lives of innocent consumers and users at risk,” said Mohale.
“As the department, we will work closely with the private sector that sells condoms to mitigate the current challenges of reported fake condoms with potential to contribute to rising numbers of HIV infections in the country, especially among young people.”
The Department of Health has urged community members to use condoms from public healthcare facilities, which are available free of charge and the condoms sold at reputable stores.