Major crackdown on counterfeit and unsafe goods: Air fryers, brake fluid, and expired food seized
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), working closely with the police, the National Consumer Commission, the Border Management Authority (BMA), provincial enforcement agencies, and local municipalities, has intensified its nationwide campaign to combat the influx and distribution of unsafe, counterfeit and non-compliant products in South Africa.
Image: NRCS
Electrical appliances including air fryers, irons, paraffin stoves, child safety restraints, motorcycle helmets, counterfeit clothing and expired food were among the items seized in operations by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), police, National Consumer Commission and Border Management Authority (BMA) among others.
The operations were held in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and key border posts between August and October.
The NRCS said the campaign aimed to combat the influx and distribution of unsafe, counterfeit and non-compliant products in South Africa.
The organisation said in Limpopo, enforcement activities in Musina and Makhado, strategically located near border posts, led to the confiscation of non-compliant goods valued at approximately R500 000.
Between August and October 2025, the NRCS conducted coordinated, multi-provincial joint inspections and enforcement operations across economic hubs including Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and key border posts. The operations targeted major trade routes, retail outlets, and import entry points where substandard and hazardous goods threaten consumer safety, public health, and fair-trade principles.
Image: NRCS
These items ranged from automotive brake fluids, electrical appliances like air fryers and irons to household products such as soaps and paraffin stoves, all of which lacked the required Letters of Authority (LOA) and failed to meet compulsory specifications mandated under the NRCS Act and the Legal Metrology Act.
In KZN, operations in Durban and uMlazi uncovered and led to the confiscation of large quantities of uncertified electrical appliances, counterfeit clothing, expired foodstuffs, and unmarked timber products.
In the Western Cape, targeted inspections in Cape Town saw goods valued at more than R800 000 seized including unsafe electrical appliances without LOA, food products that failed safety and labelling requirements, and automotive items posing serious safety hazards.
Northern Cape operations focused on Upington, Nakop Border Post, and Kakamas, where over R650 000 worth of non-compliant goods were intercepted. These included automotive fluids, child safety restraints, motorcycle helmets, and packaged products violating legal metrology standards.
The NRCS noted that the spectrum of seized products covers vital sectors including electrotechnical goods missing certification and safety markings; automotive safety equipment that fails compulsory standards; chemical, mechanical, and material products that do not meet safety regulations; and food products with inaccurate labelling and health compliance failures.
“Investigations revealed systemic attempts to circumvent the law, including falsification of compliance documents, absence or incorrect application of safety markings, use of substandard materials, and deceptive labelling practices. Inspectors encountered numerous cases where businesses knowingly stocked and sold unsafe products, frequently concealing stock during inspections to evade detection,” it said.
The NRCS added that as part of its strategic plan 2025–2030 it wants to conduct 78 joint inspections nationwide and remove or correct over R2.3 billion worth of unsafe goods within five years.
Cape Times