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- The City of Cape Town's health department warned that "fake health officials" were scamming restaurant owners.
- Restaurant owners were advised to be cautious of anyone claiming to be a department official.
- However, local restaurateurs said they weren't likely to fall for the scam.
Scammers posing as health department officials are targeting Cape Town restaurants in a bid to score a free meal.
The City of Cape Town's health department has now warned of these "fake health officials" trying to scam restaurant owners.
But local restaurateurs say there's little chance they'll fall for the scam.
According to City of Cape Town mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross, the con artists pose as health officials and attempt to get businesses to renew their health certification. They claim that a Certificate of Acceptability (COA), issued to a business preparing food, expires every two years.
The scammers allegedly claim to work for the Western Cape health department and demand free meals from restaurants.
"Criminals are finding more inventive ways to scam people out of their money and scoring free meals, as in this case. Not only is this fraudulent and illegal behaviour, but many restaurants are still recovering from lockdown and can ill afford to be scammed in this manner," said Van der Ross.
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The City said it was aware of three cases where the scam was attempted – in Kalk Bay, Muizenberg and Bergvliet.
"In all three cases, the local environmental health practitioners, who service the areas, are well known and the business owners showed the criminals the door and reported the matter to the City," she said.
Van der Ross added that the COAs, which were issued since the updated regulations were published in 2018, remained valid unless the premises had a change in management, were sold or physical changes were made to the premises or the scope of operations.
Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa, highlighted the importance of compliance by members, adding that the issue of fake inspectors was not a new phenomenon for the industry.
Alberts said:
Pitso Monate, who owns a restaurant at the V&A Waterfront, said because of the relationship he had with City officials, he would be suspicious if a stranger presented themselves as a health official and demanded a free meal.
Monate added that some restaurants might be vulnerable to these scams because they lost money during the pandemic and had not been able to pay for the renewal of their operating licences.
"We follow the rules and have a COA and business licence. If I found someone to be dodgy, I would first phone my contacts at the City to verify it," he said.
"If you come in and say you want a free meal, that's bribery. As a former cop, I would call my friends at the police station as well."
A representative of a Kalk Bay fish and chips restaurant said it wasn't difficult to check the authenticity of health officials.
"We are well aware of those scams – and, luckily, we haven't had that happen. We have someone who deals with our labour law, so we always verify the people who come to us before proceeding with anything.
"We are always told that, if any government official approaches you, you have the right to call the relevant department and verify. With the POPI act, you also have to verify that someone is legally privy to look through your documents. With this in mind, we are not scared of any potential scammers that may come our way," the restaurant said.
A restaurant employee told News24 his establishment was always informed before health inspections.
"Essentially, no one, unless they have an appointment, is allowed to inspect anything at our establishment. So, we do our due diligence. It is unfortunate that these things happen but, luckily, the [City] is a phone call away to verify all this," the employee said.
Lee-Anne Singer, the Cape chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, said the hospitality sector was among those industries most affected by the pandemic.
"Many businesses were forced to close, and there was an unacceptable loss of employment, which we are still trying to rebuild. At the same time, it is also – and rightly so for the safety of our patrons – one of the most regulated in terms of health and safety," said Singer.
"That being the case, we would always take seriously any engagement with a government-appointed health official as it is our priority to ensure that our patrons feel and, indeed, are assured that our premises have complied with all the required norms and standards for their safety."
Singer added that the organisation would be working with its members to make them aware of the scam, as well as educate them on how to identify City staff.
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Van der Ross stressed that only the City of Cape Town health department had the legal mandate to issue COAs to food premises.
In addition, all City staff carry sturdy identification cards, with the City logo, which specifies their designation and the department they are working for. They are not permitted to request any rewards, gifts, favours or hospitality.
"We encourage anyone who has been conned or threatened in this manner to please report it to the police and provide as much information as possible so that those responsible can be brought to book," said Van der Ross.
