Durban - A Durban woman has expressed disappointment after spending thousands of rands on litres on sanitisers for herself and her extended family only to find out that the product had less than 5% alcohol.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said the supplier at her company had run out of sanitiser and she heard of a local businessman who was selling bottles of sanitiser at five litres for R200.
"I wanted to support a local business, I contacted the man and bought the litres for myself and my family. I sent bottles to family living in other areas and some went to Gauteng," she said.
The woman said she informed one of her work colleagues and the company also purchased bottles from the man, who is based in Umzinto on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
Results of the test. Picture: Supplied
However, this time they were told that the sanitiser would now cost them R235 per 5L. The woman purchased 10 litres, while her company purchased 20 litres.
She said she found it odd that the supplier asked for cash, however she managed to arrange the cash and pay the man for what she thought was sanitiser.
"A manager informed me that he didn't smell alcohol in the sanitiser but I was sure I could. Later, another colleague sent the sanitser for testing and we discovered that it only had 4.12% Isopropyl alcohol while the remaining percentage was water," she said.
The woman said she was disappointed.
"When some people heard about the sanitiser, they also bought. Some people didn't even have the cash but managed to get it together just so they could also buy sanitiser for their families. It is so disappointing that in this time, people could do something like this," she said.
The matter is being handed over to the National Competition Commission (NCC) to investigate.
According to the NCC, consumers can lodge complaints with them with proof that they purchased the product.
"They must also include test results. If companies or individuals are found guilty of selling fake products, they will be fined R1m or 10% of the company's total annual turnover," said the NCC's Phetho Ntaba.
National police spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, said the Department of Trade and industry and Economic Development were very clear post the release of the regulations particularly on two matters, price hikes and selling of fake Covid-19 items.
"People are warned that when caught they will face criminal charges and serious penalties including the possibility of lengthy jail sentences," he said.
MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube has directed officials from the department's consumer protection unit to deal with these cases.
"Indeed we shall come hard on those found to be violating trading laws by selling illicit and dangerous goods to the public. Such mischievous acts from unscrupulous businesses have no place in our society and they can only cause further damage by exposing our people to Covid-19 health risks. We are receiving a lot of complaints," the MEC said.
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched after thousands of litres of fake sanitiser were removed from a property in Springfield.
In a video that circulated on various social media platforms, member of Metro Police and the eThekwini Fire Department attended to a house in the area where a family was allegedly diluting sanitiser.
Metro Police head, Commissioner Steve Middleton, said it was sad that there were people who did not take the pandemic seriously and who were trying to gain monies from residents.