By: Hertha Ekandjo
‘Order with me’ agents say their businesses will be badly affected in the wake of the Namibia Revenue Agency (Namra) destroying counterfeit goods worth over N$5 million.
The tax revenue collection agency destroyed the counterfeit goods on Tuesday after they were confiscated for being illegally imported into the country.
The Villager reached out to several agents who run order-to-sell businesses. One of the ladies said this is a significant loss to businessmen and women who order goods from beyond Namibian borders.
The agent, who chose not to be named, said that not only does she lose her income, but she also loses the trust of her customers.
“One could end up being accused of being a scammer when you break the news to your customers that goods have been confiscated and burned,” she said.
Another agent, Andel Shilunga, said that most of the time, men and women in the ordering business have not been informed and educated on the importance of copyright.
She added that it is sometimes difficult to know if it is an original brand that supplies supply to them as their customers.
Meanwhile, the co-founder of the Kulture sneaker shop, Carlos Gurirab, welcomed the move by Namra. He said, “government will be destroying all fake “order with me” items regularly as they land at ports. If you can’t afford it, buy no name. We [are] clamping down on fake sneakers and everything fake.
Namra said the counterfeit goods destroyed were due to a violation of copyrights. According to the agency’s chief strategic communications and support engagements, Steven Ndorokaze, a counterfeit product is a product that is produced or manufactured by copying a brand that was manufactured by someone else.
He added that the person might not have authorised their product to be copied.
“It is a violation of copyright, and the owner of that specific product has not agreed to the manufacturing or production of that good,” he told The Villager.
Ndorokaze stated that once that particular good has been confiscated, there’s no other way to destroy it.
He said the products that have been manufactured in a copy and paste manner are not subject to the standard of the original product.
“This makes their use and consumption by society is not guaranteed to,” he said.
He further said that this particular confiscation relates to counterfeit products.
“These are products that are have produced or manufactured in violation of the existing regulatory rules. Confiscated goods were brought together, and we did the destruction as provided for in terms of the country’s relevant legislations status and laws,” he said.
According to Ndarokaze, these were goods confiscated from 2015 to date from different duty stations such as the Hosea Kutako international airport and Walvis Bay port.
He added that the destroyed products came from around the world, not only within the African continent.
According to Ndarokaze, there is no way that any legal system will allow such a product to be distributed.
Ndorokaze said that Namra is entrusted with a broad mandate, including the protection of society.
He added that this particular protection relates to the protection of society about the importation into and exportation from a country of certain goods.
“The goods that were destroyed yesterday were goods that were confiscated or ceased through our various operations throughout the country,” said Ndarokaze.
Yarukeekuro Ndarokaze urged the public to be vigilant when undertaking order-to-sell business opportunities.
He added that they should take time to see if the business opportunity they want to take is legitimate.
