Johannesburg - Thabo Sentletse* sells replica Springbok
jerseys in the streets of Johannesburg for R200.
In another part of the city another man sells the same
jerseys with the Absa logo and all the correct labels for R150.
They are doing brisk business - even after the South African
Revenue Service (SARS) last week confiscated counterfeit Springbok articles in
Johannesburg to the value of R43m.
This included more than 66 000 counterfeit Springbok
jerseys. Shortly before the time of publication another 60 000 jerseys had been
confiscated. The problem is that the counterfeit goods are much cheaper than
the official versions. In Woolworths a replica Springbok jersey will cost you
R600.
In shops like Makro and Sportsman's Warehouse the price is
R629.99.
If one wants to order the jerseys over the Internet from
websites like WorldRugbyShop.com, you have to pay $89.99 (around R639). This
excludes the cost of getting the jersey home.
On the Canterbury (manufacturer of the Springbok jersey)
South African website the new official Bok jersey for the World Cup rugby
tournament costs R629.99.
Adidas spokesperson in South Africa, Zobuzwe Ngobese, said
every time a major sporting event such as a world cup takes place, the flood of
counterfeit goods grows.
Last year during the World Cup soccer tournament Adidas had
a massive headache with counterfeit products appearing on the street and
elsewhere.
Last year Adidas sold about one million official replicas of
Bafana Bafana shirts at around R800 a piece.
The number of counterfeit shirts sold is unknown, but sales
of counterfeit jerseys is costing Adidas millions of dollars.
Last year Adidas - which is this year sponsoring teams like
New Zealand and Wales for the World Cup rugby tournament - said that there were
other, cheaper products that supporters could buy if they wished to support
their team. One did not therefore necessarily have to buy the expensive
replica.
Between January and June 2010 the South African Police
Service confiscated counterfeit goods worth R100m.
Ngobese said Adidas’s point of departure was that it was an
industrial problem and as an industry (including other manufacturers such as
Puma and Nike) the problem had been clamped down on.
"We trained police and other officials to look into the
issue."
Blow to the economy
Ngobese said the secret was to stop the problem at source,
and in South Africa this is at the airports and harbours.
"To confiscate the products right there, before they
hit the streets, works best."
According to the Department of Trade & Industry’s latest official estimates, theft of
intellectual property and trade in counterfeit goods costs South Africa more
than R2bn every year.
Dr Rob Davies, minister of the department, said street
sellers were small fry.
"The big brains are manufacturers behind the
scenes," said Davies in a recent address. At the end of 2010 the
department established the National Anti Piracy Campaign, whose purpose was to
create awareness about the negative effects of pirated products.
"The impact and implications of pirated products is
huge because they threaten the income and work of the true artists and
creators," said Davies.
He said counterfeit goods are paralysing local manufacturers
in the clothing and textile sector.
Canterbury general manager Brett Burgess said the products
on the street looked genuine, but their quality was poor.
"The imitations look identical in many respects, with even
the labels inside the journeys looking like the real McCoy. But people should
know that if they buy a jersey on the street there is a 100% chance of it being
counterfeit."
Burgess says supporters who want to buy a jersey and be
certain it is not counterfeit must buy from an official supplier.
"The rest…are rubbish."
He said people should realise they are supporting crime and
the black market if they buy jerseys off the street.
"The reason why hawkers can sell the jerseys for R150
is because they don't pay customs and excise duties.
"They do not make any contribution to sporting bodies like
Saru, and they don't spend a cent on developing the jerseys.
"The Bokke play in material created using the latest
technology, which took three years to develop. These costs form part of the
R600."
Burgess said hawkers' jerseys are largely produced by child
labour and in factories where workers are exploited.
*? Pseudonym
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