The sledgehammer of the Senior Divisional Officer for Mfoundi fell on a good number of counterfeited electronics in application of the decision of the Yaounde Court of First Instance.

Results; several fake telephone receivers destroyed and scores of imitation television receivers as well as DVDs demolished. The decision, from every indication, stemmed from an accident which witnessed the explosion of a counterfeit TV set acquired by a lady at cheaper rate.

The Yaounde case is certainly not the first and will only be the last if all fake or better still counterfeited goods are swept away from the markets. How feasible this can be is the question. But the determination of the brigade in charge of tracking down such goods seems rife. Imagine the catastrophe of the lady who had her hair completely burnt after using counterfeited hair product.

Hospital sources say several of such cases have been registered. All this of course is the result of the porous nature of the borders. Most of the products seem to come from the Asian continent where all quality of products are produced to suit all strata of the population; cheap things for poorer people and more expensive ones for the higher class segment of the population.

The invasion of the market by counterfeit goods is a big threat staring the country at the face. The consequences promise to be far reaching if nothing is done to halt the phenomenon. However, the situation can still be reversed provided a practical strategy is adopted and made more sustainable. A phenomenon of this nature that proves to be resistant calls for fight that must be made permanent.

This means that the authorities that be must not wait for the products to enter the country and fall into the hands of the retailers or wholesalers before taking action. All actions ought to thread through all the stages through which the products pass. This entails positioning controllers at the borders, at ports of entry, at the airports and on highways among others. And this has to be made permanent.