Trade & industry deputy minister Mzwandile Masina has spoken out against the sale of counterfeit goods at flea markets and business centres, saying it contributed to the proliferation of illegal goods in the country.
Masina was speaking after he led a raid on shops selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs at the Brightwater Commons flea market in Randburg.
“Government cannot tolerate a situation where owners of these flea markets are turning a blind eye on criminal activities committed in their own premises. People who sell these illegal goods pay rent every month for operating in these centres and their owners cannot claim that they do not know what is sold in their own premises.
“The fact that they receive money generated through illegal activities taking place in their premises could well imply that they are complicit to criminal acts that are hurting this country’s economy,” said the deputy minister.
Counterfeit CDs and DVDs are not only costing the country’s economy millions of rands but they are also denying artists their right to earn a decent living and robbing them of the revenue that should be contributing in growing the creative industry.
Government, he said, recognised the role the creative industry plays in creating employment and contributing to the country’s economy.
“As the department of trade & industry, we have set aside R50m from the National Lotteries Commission as part of boosting our efforts aimed at protecting the intellectual property rights of our artists.
“We will be providing training to prosecutors to equip them to deal effectively with violators of intellectual property rights and transgressors of the Counterfeit Goods Act, and embarking on a campaign to educate members of the public about the negative impact of buying counterfeit goods,” said Masina.
Popular music producer Robbie Malinga said the mass production and sale of fake CDs was killing artists and the music industry.
“We are working so hard to earn a living but what is happening in this country is killing us. For one to invest so much time, energy and money to produce music only [to] come across a fake CD of our artist being sold for R5 in the street corner is really disheartening,” said Malinga.
His views were echoed by Mzwakhe Mbuli who appealed to government to strengthen its efforts to combat piracy.
“Government must work hard to bring perpetrators of this economic crime to book,” said Mbuli. — SAnews
