Criminal syndicates behind flood of counterfeit products . . .Mbare becomes hub for fake goods

SOPHISTICATED international criminal syndicates that are operating in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa are behind the deluge of both counterfeit and fake products that are finding their way on to the local market, The Sunday Mail Society has gathered.

 

South African police, through the National Counterfeit Unit, last month busted one such syndicate and seized goods worth R3 million (more than US$167 000).

 

A Pakistani national was arrested during the operation and fake items, including sports apparel, shoes and cellphones, were recovered.

 

Some of the counterfeit products that were also accounted for during the operation included medical products, alcohol and foodstuffs, as well as computer hard drives, bluetooth speakers, earphones and laser-cutting machines.

 

 

 

The specialised police unit managed to dismantle a hidden manufacturing plant and storage facilities.

 

Most worryingly, in the same operation, law-enforcement agents also seized fake petroleum oil worth over R200 000 (about US$10 000) and arrested four Zimbabweans in Monavoni, a suburb on the outskirts of Centurion.

 

All this shines light on the scale and scope of the shadowy multimillion-dollar operations that are churning out fake and counterfeit products.

 

Owing to the pervasive use of the United States dollar for local transactions, Zimbabwe now presents an attractive, convenient and lucrative market for the goods.

 

 

 

Investigations by The Sunday Mail Society showed that some of the counterfeit goods that are manufactured in South Africa end up on shelves of local tuckshops and superettes in high-density suburbs.

 

It is understood that from South Africa, the fake products are smuggled into Zimbabwe through Mozambique and other porous illegal crossing points along the expansive border.

 

 

A number of people have been arrested for smuggling fake goods, but this has not been deterrent enough for the rewards are considered high.

 

Well-known brands

 

 

The products that are manufactured by the syndicates are those of fast-moving well-known brands.

 

Uninitiate consumers often struggle to differentiate between genuine and fake products, which are produced in highly mechanised plants that are capable of imitating the original brand.

 

So sophisticated are the operations that they can even source for quality packaging that deceives the eye.

 

But unlike in South Africa, locally produced counterfeit goods, mostly illicit brews, perfumes and fizzy drinks, are produced in backyards, especially in Harare’s Mbare high-density suburb.

 

Perfumes

 

It is believed that the syndicates that are producing fake perfumes are mainly operating in the Magaba area in Mbare.

 

One of the syndicates, which is made up mostly of young men who reside in Epworth, collects empty perfume containers from rubbish bins.

 

After cleaning the containers, they will then inject water and cooking oil.

 

This cocktail of water, a little amount of perfume and cooking oil is then sold cheaply to unsuspecting customers.

 

A man who identified himself as Freddy said selling fake products is his only source of livelihood.

 

“All I need to do is to collect empty perfume containers, water and to also buy a syringe. I then sell the fake perfumes for less than a dollar,” he said.

 

More than 20 people have since turned part of a former council beerhall near the Siyaso complex in Magaba into a counterfeit perfume-manufacturing base.

 

The fake perfume is also distributed across the country.

 

“I supply people in Kadoma, Kwekwe and even Bulawayo,” added Freddy.

 

Drinks, whiskeys, toothpaste and lotions

 

The Matapi Flats, which are located near the heavily polluted Mukuvisi River, is where the largest group of criminals that produce fake fizzy drinks operates from.

 

After collecting empty containers, they mix a concoction of water, eggs, colourants and concentrates to produce imitations of popular drinks.

 

Stickers of genuine products are then sealed on the containers to make them appear genuine.

 

The stickers are printed in Msasa and Southerton.

 

The Shortlines, which are close to Mbare Musika, are infamous for the production of fake whiskeys.

 

The criminal elements also have distilleries in which they produce fake brandy, vodka and other counterfeit alcoholic concoctions.

 

At Mbare Musika, a case of fake Two Keys whiskey is being sold for US$5.

 

On the formal market, the quantity of genuine whiskey is being sold for US$24.

 

This price disparity is forcing consumers to opt for the cheaper fake whiskeys.

 

Stallion and Bootleg are some of the brands that are also counterfeited in Mbare.

 

Fake toothpaste and lotions are similarly finding their way into the market.

 

A vendor who operates at Mbare Musika, who identified himself as Admire, explained how the criminals are producing fake toothpaste and lotions.

 

“For lotions, they take genuine products and then mix them with avocados, for example. The avocado is put at the bottom of the container, with genuine lotion being spread on top,” Admire said.

 

Distribution points

 

Some of the fake whiskeys are finding their way into bars and bottle stores.

 

One of the ways in which fake products are getting into the market is through vendors.

 

Fake non-alcoholic drinks are sold by vendors to travellers at Mbare Musika.

 

Apart from non-alcoholic drinks, whiskey and perfumes, criminals are also producing fake maize seed and other agricultural inputs.

 

Police often recover fake maize seed; colouring paint; maize; and empty, labelled packaging during operations mostly at Mbare Musika.

 

In a recent interview, the Consumer Protection Commission chairperson, Dr Mthokozisi Nkosi, said the consumer watchdog also observed that the bulk of underweight and expired products could be traced to the high-density suburb.

 

“Investigations have indicated that major culprits selling underweight and expired products are the small and medium enterprises, with big supermarket cases being marginal,” he told this publication.

 

“The bulk of the underweight products are not coming from established manufacturers, but information points to the fact that these are unscrupulous people buying products from manufacturers in the right quantities, repackaging them, mostly in some parts of Mbare, and selling to unsuspecting consumers.”

 

Economist Dr Morgan Makwarimba highlighted the dangers that are associated with counterfeiting.

 

“Counterfeit products harm reputable businesses by siphoning off their potential sales,” Dr Makwarimba said.

 

He, however, noted that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of counterfeiting.

 

“Remember, counterfeiting is a profitable business. Criminals also rely on the high demand for cheap goods. Counterfeits are also cheap to produce,” he said.

 

Regional problem

 

The production of counterfeit goods is rampant across Southern Africa.

 

In 2021, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) conducted an operation across Southern Africa against the trafficking of illicit health products and other goods.

 

The crackdown led to the arrest of 179 suspects and seizure of products worth more than US$3,5 million.

 

Dubbed “Operation Afya II”, more than 4 000 inspections were carried out at warehouses, storerooms, pharmacies and other premises in rural areas.

 

More than 300 investigations were carried out across the 10 participating countries, namely Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

 

In total, almost 40 000 illicit medical products were seized during the operation.