An unregistered pharmacy that operated for six years without a licence in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga, was closed down yesterday.

The closure of the pharmacy was thanks to a thorough investigation led by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), White River Flying Squad and Acornhoek Local Criminal Record Centre.

Lowvelder reports that the 50-year-old pharmacy owner and two women and two men, aged between 35 and 48, were arrested for contravening the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 and the regulations governing the Ownership and Licensing of Pharmacies Act 53 of 1974.

The team received information from SAHPRA about the pharmacy’s unlawful activities, and a search warrant was executed at the business. The four employees were present during the search but were unable to produce the necessary qualifications to work in a pharmacy, particularly for dispensing medicines.

The owner was not at the establishment when the warrant was executed, but was later summoned to the scene. On his arrival, he could neither produce the operating licence nor valid qualifications. It was established that the pharmacy was not even registered with the South African Pharmacy Council.

Scheduled medicines, ranging from schedules one to six, were seized. Currently, the Hawks cannot confirm the value of the seized medicines as further investigation and expert analysis are still to be conducted.

The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nico Gerber, commended the partnership displayed by all involved stakeholders.

“It has been six years, since 2019, that the owner has been operating. One can only imagine how many people were directly or indirectly affected. We are pleased that the establishment has now been closed and that further harm to human lives will be prevented,” Gerber says.

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