DTI warns of liquor licensing scam

Applicants who went to see consultants were promised registration certificates within two days or a week after paying a huge amount of cash, spokesman Sidwell Medupe said.

"The consultants would however provide the prospective registrant with a fraudulent registration certificate."

He said there were standard fees for applications and the minimum waiting period to receive a registration was 120 working days.

"Legitimate registration certificates issued by the [dti's] national liquor authority have security features and are easily identifiable."

If an applicant had used the services of a consultant, he or she was expected to be in possession of the original copy of the registration certificate.

Source: Sapa