Local mask maker fined

A COMPANY which donated surgical masks to the Office of the Premier and the police has been fined R25 000 on charges that include forced labour during lockdown as well as neglecting its responsibility for employees’ health conditions.

“Authorities stepped in after an employee (of the Chen Lu Fragrance Company) reported the company for the working conditions they were subjected to,” provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara said.

“Investigations also revealed that the company had not applied for the relevant license to manufacture or distribute surgical masks,” Kara said.

The NPA hailed the fine as an achievement as it was the first in South Africa involving the failure of a company to have a license to “manufacture, import or act as a wholesaler or distributor of medical devices”.

Kara added: “Because of the state’s queries, the relevant stakeholders have now issued a joint formal document on compliance.“

The investigation also required the assistance of the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Labour, the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications and the South African Bureau of Standards, said Kara.