Two government regulators and the South African Police Services raided a pirate DVD and CD seller in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).
The Film and Publication Board, telecommunications and broadcasting regulator Icasa, and the South African Police Service raided and arrested a pirate DVD and CD seller in Gqeberha ., the Film and Publications Board said 1,537 illegally distributed and unclassified DVDs and CDs were found, valued at R231,100.
“One suspect was arrested on account of distributing materials without registering with the FPB and distributing unclassified materials, some of which are extremely harmful to the children as defined in the Act,” it said. It is interesting to see the FPB and Icasa pick up the anti-piracy baton after the collapse of the Southern African Federation Against Copyright Theft .Member companies included Ster-Kinekor, MultiChoice, Disney Africa, and United International Pictures.One senior executive was accused of sexual harassment and resigned with immediate effect rather than face a disciplinary hearing.However, none of Safact’s directors or member companies would confirm that money had gone missing.
The missing money was one in a series of accusations Safact staff made regarding mismanagement and administrative failures at the anti-piracy organisation. This included allegations of not following proper procedure when seizing counterfeit goods, to more minor issues such as not keeping the company’s records at the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission properly updated.