Police and brand protection teams have seized counterfeit sports apparel and manufacturing equipment valued at more than R1.5m from a Johannesburg CBD storage facility ahead of thetTest match against New Zealand at FNB Stadium.

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The national counterfeit and illicit goods unit led the operation following an intelligence-driven lead. Officers from the Gauteng counterfeit and illicit goods unit, public order policing, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, South African revenue service customs, and brand protection representatives executed search-and-seizure warrants at the facility. They uncovered large quantities of counterfeit sports apparel and footwear bearing well-known protected brands, among them Springboks-branded gear.

Manufacturing equipment and materials used to produce and distribute the fake items were also seized, including counterfeit labels, stickers, an embossing machine, and silkscreen plates.

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The timing is significant. Demand for team-branded merchandise typically rises sharply ahead of high-profile Springboks matches, with supporters preparing for today’s encounter against the All Blacks.

SAPS said the operation forms part of ongoing efforts to disrupt criminal networks involved in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of counterfeit and illicit goods. Police obtained warrants to search the storage facilities, but no arrests have been made, according to Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk.

Police urge the public to buy sports merchandise only from legitimate, authorised retailers and to report suspected counterfeits to the authorities.

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