Sars dumps illegal goods worth R2.5m

IF YOU were hoping to buy a “knock off” Nike tracksuit or adidas sneakers from an unlicensed store in Durban, chances are you might not find any as Sars got rid of R2.5 million’s worth of fake clothing on Friday.

Tons were shredded and buried at the Verulam landfill site by the Sars Customs unit as it declared war on illicit international trade.

More than 15 Sars officials oversaw the destruction of two truckloads of clothing confiscated from a Durban warehouse earlier this month.

The process started in the morning when 12 illegally imported cars worth R450 000 were crushed at the Reclamation Group, a scrap metal company at Isipingo, Prospecton.

Patrick Moeng, Sars customs chief executive, said the items destroyed, including footwear, were part of 11 540 bales worth more than R2.5m of clothing confiscated from the warehouse.

He said the seizure was the culmination of a joint effort with different state departments concerned about the steady growth of the economy.

He said the months leading to the festive season were the busiest at the port as the demand to have new imported stock on the shelves grew.

“Part of the illegal goods identified were smuggled in through the port; the content declared did not match the description reflected on the documents. A cheap price is attached to the item deliberately to pay low tariffs. This raised a red flag, we then instituted an investigation which led us to the warehouse,” he said.

Moeng said the impact of illegal goods destroyed the local economy leading to massive job losses. He said most of the goods came from Afghanistan and China and a legal process against the owner of the warehouse was under way.

When goods are detained in a state warehouse, the owner has to produce proof of payment to customs officials.

“When duties are not paid, goods become cheaply available and local economy dies. People lose jobs because local manufacture cannot thrive.”

Previously, forfeited goods had been donated to NGOS but because of rampant theft at these institutions, Sars decided to shred them.

He said challenges facing the officials at the port were smuggling and the price distortion to pay low tariffs.