SARS Customs officials confiscate fake clothing and shoes worth R10m

In a statement on Thursday, SARS said the incident happened during a special high-visibility operation at Rawsonville Weighbridge off the N1 -- 20 km south of Worcester on 10 November.

South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs officials have intercepted suspected counterfeit clothing and shoes valued at approximately R10 722 364 in the Western Cape.

In a statement on Thursday, SARS said the incident happened during a special high-visibility operation at Rawsonville Weighbridge off the N1 -- 20 km south of Worcester on 10 November.

The operation saw traffic and customs officials redirecting all trucks carrying goods from the N1 to the Weighbridge, in order to detect possible illicit goods and collect all revenue due.

Customs officials searched a truck carrying two vessel containers, one 20ft, the other 40ft, en-route to Johannesburg from Cape Town.

After opening the 20ft container, officers discovered what seemed to be second-hand truck tyres and rims.

They then opened the 40ft container, where they found heavy machinery, heavy boxes of unbranded goods and rubber sheets etc.

However, further inspections revealed boxes containing branded clothing and footwear hidden in the back of the container.

There were a total of 86 boxes containing the following brands and quantities:

1 500 pairs Lacoste takkies2 200 pairs Nike takkies1 936 Adidas t-shirts 96 pairs John Foster shoes

The goods were confiscated and detained for further investigation.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)