Store ordered to fund school desks after cigarette bust

A Mpumalanga court dismissed charges against three family members tied to a counterfeit cigarette case but fined their business R600,000 and mandated community support.

Uptown Superstore must deliver 504 sturdy two-seater desks to four Highveld Ridge high schools within three months, blending financial penalty with educational investment

The Hawks Secunda unit seized 4,710 packets of illicit cigarettes worth R107,700 during a September 2024 raid, arresting store manager Riaz Moolla.

Warrants later led to the July 2025 arrests of his relatives Fatima and Suliman Moolla ahead of a scheduled trial. Company director Suliman Moolla’s plea deal postponed final sentencing to 30 July 2025.

While personal charges against the Moollas were dropped, the store admitted violations of tobacco, tax, and customs laws. Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi called the ruling a “creative penalty” that redirects criminal gains into community upliftment.

Major General Nico Gerber praised the outcome, noting the desks will “directly assist the next generation’s education needs.” The case marks a rare fusion of justice and social responsibility, turning confiscated profits into classroom tools.