Hefty fine for shop owner selling counterfeit goods

A Gqeberha shop owner has been fined R57,000 after pleading guilty to selling counterfeit goods.

Goher Ali, 32, was charged under the Counterfeit Goods Act after an investigation into products being sold at the Red 88 Tech and Gadget store in Greenshields Park.

Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Anele Fumba said the investigation, spearheaded by Spoor and Fisher Attorneys based in Pretoria, had come after reports that the shop in question was possibly selling counterfeit Apple and iPhone products.

“According to information, Ali was found in possession of suspected counterfeit goods valued at R296,000.

“Following an inquiry and a test purchase on October 31 2023, it was confirmed that Ali was indeed engaged in the sale of counterfeit goods,” Fumba said.

Fumba said the matter had been handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Gqeberha, and after a search-and-seizure operation at Red 88 Tech and Gadget, the members had confiscated 215 Apple iPhone covers, eight iPhone chargers and four Apple smartwatches valued at R296,000.

Ali was served with a summons to appear in the Gqeberha regional court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to the contravention of certain sections of the Counterfeit Goods Act, and was subsequently fined R57,000.

Hawks provincial head Maj-Gen Mboiki Obed Ngwenya commended the collaborative effort which resulted in the successful seizure of illicit goods, as well as the investigative team who had helped to secure the conviction. 

He also urged the public to be mindful when purchasing goods that could be counterfeit as they posed a risk to consumer safety and the local economy.

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