Ramaphosa urged to take action as MaXhosa designer exposes counterfeit trade

The rampant spread of counterfeit goods continues to affect industries and the economy.

Laduma Ngxokolo, founder of the renowned local knitwear brand MaXhosa Africa, has expressed his concern about the persistent prevalence of counterfeit products in the country, particularly within the fashion industry, penning a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“Dear Mr President, this is the ‘normal’ state of the country. Counterfeit criminals do their crime openly across multiple industries in SA,” said Ngxokolo.

His comments came on the heels of a viral TikTok video featuring a presenter from MojaLove who confronted a shop assistant at a store in Small Street, Johannesburg, that was found to be selling counterfeit MaXhosa clothing.

Maxhosa was founded in 2010 as a testament to the power of African design and cultural expression. The brand, rooted in the traditions of the Xhosa people, celebrates the beauty of traditional beadwork and symbolic colour patterns.

The designer pointed out the significant impact counterfeit goods are having on SA’s economy and reputation.

“Even international brands have given up on the fight. As a country with a shocking percentage of unemployment, this is the last thing the police and SA Revenue Service (Sars) should accept,” Ngxokolo said.

The confrontation in Small Street involved a shop assistant who admitted though he recognised MaXhosa as a brand, he didn’t know who the original designer was.

The assistant revealed the store was selling counterfeit MaXhosa dresses for R80 — in stark contrast to the price of the brand’s genuine dresses, which start at R17,500. 

The shop assistant selling counterfeit MaXhosa products was arrested and all the counterfeit goods were seized during the operation.

In response to the growing threat, Ngxokolo tagged government officials and departments — including sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie, police minister Senzo Mchunu and Gauteng finance MEC Lebogang Maile — hoping their involvement would result in positive outcomes.

“Hopefully this will yield positive results,” he said. 

Sars has made some progress in combating counterfeiting. According to a report from Sars, between April 1 2022 and March 31 2023, the agency seized counterfeit clothing worth R234,035,351 in 192 separate incidents. Sars also reported counterfeit footwear had peaked at 151 items confiscated, valued at R1.6m, and other counterfeit goods seizures amounted to R1.5m.

The Consumer Goods Council of SA estimated counterfeiting could account for as much as 10% of the economy. The figure points to the scale of the problem and need for urgent intervention.

In June last year, the National Counterfeit Goods Unit (NCU) led an operation in the Johannesburg CBD that resulted in the arrest of two Chinese nationals and seizure of counterfeit goods valued at R5.8m.

The operation also saw the arrest of two Ethiopian nationals for violating the Immigration Act. About 7,000 counterfeit items imitating well-known global brands were confiscated, including sports apparel, shoes, perfumes, sunglasses, watches and bags.

The NCU plays a vital role in tackling the issue of counterfeit goods. As a specialised law enforcement division, it is dedicated to detecting, investigating and preventing the production and distribution of counterfeit items, which have become a major concern in and luxury markets.

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