An Ethiopian tuck shop owner in Ramaphosa informal settlement has accused Reiger Park police officers of ill-treatment after he was allegedly made to pay a bribe following a raid at the shop.
According to the shop owner, who wished to remain anonymous, last month, about four officers from the Reiger Park SAPS arrived at the shop and said they had received a complaint about a gunshot at the shop.
“My brothers explained to them they didn’t know anything about gunshots and didn’t have a gun. The police then raided the shop and found cigarettes, which they claimed were illegal.”
The man said instead of the police taking his brothers to the police station, they drove around with them in the police vehicle for about an hour while demanding a bribe of R2 000.
An arrangement of R1 000 was made and they released his brothers and the cigarette stock.
“We feel we were violated because if my brothers were in the wrong, they should have arrested them and not kept them for an hour while waiting for a bribe,” he said.
The shop owner, who maintained that their cigarettes were legal, said they feel targeted by police because they’ve been made to pay bribes previously.
Reiger Park SAPS station commander Lt-Col Eugene Roets advised the complainants to visit the police station to open a case against the officers and said the incident will be investigated.
He added the complainants should not have allowed the officers to raid the store because police need a search warrant to take this type of action.
SARS Customs Unit explains the difference between illicit and legal cigarettes
According to Anton Fisher of Sars, illegal cigarettes are cigarettes that are sold in shops but traders do not pay VAT or import duties on these.
“Many of these cigarettes are smuggled into South Africa across the borders. They are counterfeit, which means they are not the original brand,” said Fisher.
How do you know if you are buying illegal cigarettes?
• A retail price to the consumer of less than R16.50 per pack could indicate that excise and VAT has not been paid.
• Absence of the SA diamond stamp, which could be positioned anywhere on the pack, but is normally positioned at the bottom.
• Absence of/incorrect health warnings, such as “smoking causes heart disease”.
• Absence of a telephone number to help you quit smoking.
• Nicotine and tar readings on the pack are higher than 12mg tar and/or 1.2mg nicotine.
• Absence of the ‘Reduced Ignition Propensity’ marking on the pack.
Sars urges the public to report people who are selling illegal cigarettes by phoning the Sars hotline on 0800 00 2870 or the Tobacco Institute on 0800 214 710.
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