Driver Sentenced for Counterfeit Goods
A 40-year-old Mpumalanga man, Vusi Victor Nkosi, has been sentenced by the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court for dealing in counterfeit goods following his arrest at the Lebombo Border Port of Entry.
Nkosi was apprehended on 5 September 2023 while driving a commercial DAF truck with two trailers carrying nearly 5 000 pairs of counterfeit branded sneakers worth an estimated R4.48 million. He had entered South Africa from Mozambique and failed to declare the goods at Customs, leading to his arrest. The truck, trailers and illicit goods were subsequently seized and taken to the Komatipoort SARS Customs Warehouse.
A thorough investigation led by the Hawksâ Nelspruit-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team resulted in the case being transferred to the Middelburg court, where Nkosi pleaded guilty on 30 July 2025.
The court handed him a sentence of a R10 000 fine or six monthsâ imprisonment, along with 24 months of correctional supervision. As part of the supervision order, Nkosi has been placed under 24-hour house arrest for the full duration of the 24 months. He is also required to perform 16 hours of community service each month throughout the sentence.