A man has been charged and fined R57 000 for the possession of counterfeit Apple and iPhone products in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on Friday.
Ali Goher, 32, a foreign national, appeared in the Gqeberha Regional Court, where he pleaded guilty to the sale and possession of these products worth over R200 000 under the Counterfeit Goods and contravention of certain sections within the Act 37 of 1997.
The investigation was led by Spoor and Fisher Attorneys, based in Pretoria, after Goher was believed to be selling counterfeit goods at his store, Red 88 Tech and Gadget situated in GreenShields Park, Gqeberha.
An inquiry and test purchase of Goher’s products was done in October last year, confirming the sale of counterfeit goods. Following the inquiry, a search and seizure operation was executed at the store, where 215 covers, eight cellphone chargers and four smart watches belonging to Apple/iPhone were confiscated. The matter was reported to, and also investigated by Gqeberha Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (GSCCI) of the Hawks.
The Provincial Head of the Hawks, Major-General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya commended the collaborative efforts that led to a successful investigation, and conviction of Goher. He further reminded the public to be vigilant of the sale and purchase counterfeit goods – they pose risk to consumer safety and economic growth.
An article by Spoor and Attorneys in January, stated that the sale of counterfeit goods affects consumers, because people consume illicit and fake products that are detrimental to their health; businesses lose revenue and thus, job losses and; the Intellectual Property of creatives is threatened and the loss of tax revenue.
Moreover, the SA Revenue Service (SARS) estimated that illicit trading costs the economy R100 billion annually and R250 million of lost tax revenue, which affects the country losing $3.5 billion (R67bn) to $5bn a year, or more than 1% of its Gross Document Product (GDP), to illicit financial flows, Moonstone indicated in an article last year.
The Star
Hope Mafu