A new investigative video series is putting South Africa’s illicit-goods economy under the spotlight, exploring how illegal products move through supply chains and the far-reaching consequences for consumers, businesses and society.
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Titled Someone Always Pays, the series was recently launched in Johannesburg as part of the Your Choice Has Power campaign, an initiative led by the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), in partnership with a business task force.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the impact of illicit trade and encourage consumers to make purchasing decisions that support the legitimate economy.
The premiere event at Langhams Lifestyle Estate brought together media, industry leaders and influential voices, with investigative journalist and series lead reporter Govan Whittles sharing insights from his investigation into the country’s illicit economy.
“Someone Always Pays takes a harrowing look at the effect that illicit trade has on people’s lives,” said Whittles. “It also highlighted the impact it has on South African society. Illicit trade drives crime, it harms public health, it destroys businesses, and it undermines social stability.”
Putting illicit trade under the microscope
The debut episode examines the potentially fatal consequences of bootleg alcohol, alongside the illicit fuel trade and the widespread illegal cigarette market.
Future episodes will investigate additional aspects of the illicit economy, highlighting the impact of illegal goods beyond the point of purchase.
CGCSA CEO Zinhle Tyikwe said the series aims to demonstrate that the apparent affordability of illicit products can come with significant social and economic costs.
“This hard-hitting series shows how trade in illicit goods has very real impacts on people’s lives and can even be fatal,” said Tyikwe. “Future episodes will unpack some of the other highly destructive impacts of illicit goods, explaining how no matter how cheap a product might be, someone always pays.”
For the retail and consumer goods sectors, the issue extends beyond lost sales. Illicit trade can divert revenue away from legitimate retailers and manufacturers, undermine compliant businesses and contribute to job losses and reduced tax revenue.
According to the CGCSA, South Africa’s illicit-goods economy has been estimated at approximately R1 trillion, underlining the scale of the challenge facing the formal economy.
A retail and economic challenge
The organisation says the illicit economy has consequences across the wider value chain, including endangering lives, reducing business income, destroying jobs, supporting criminal networks, depriving the state of tax revenue and undermining the funding of social services.
This makes consumer behaviour an important part of the response, particularly in retail categories where illegal products can be sold alongside or in competition with legitimate goods.
For consumers, however, price remains a powerful consideration, particularly in a challenging economic environment. The campaign is therefore seeking to shift the conversation beyond the immediate saving offered by an illicit product towards the broader consequences of where consumers choose to spend their money.
“Your choice has power,” said Tyikwe. “If you suspect goods might be illegal, don’t buy them, and report it to the authorities. When we choose to spend our money with legal businesses, we support the mainstream economy, and help to grow our country.”
Consumer choice as a line of defence
The launch positions consumer awareness as one element of a broader effort to tackle illicit trade, with the campaign encouraging South Africans to recognise the consequences that can sit behind seemingly cheaper products.
For the retail sector, the issue also highlights the importance of protecting legitimate supply chains and creating greater consumer awareness around product provenance and compliance.
By taking the investigation beyond statistics and focusing on the people affected by illicit trade, Someone Always Pays seeks to make the issue more tangible for consumers.
The central message of the campaign is clear: the cost of illicit trade does not disappear. It is simply paid elsewhere – by businesses, workers, communities, government and, ultimately, consumers themselves.
The series can be listend to here
