‘Saboteurs’ blamed for fake halaal meat

Muslim authorities are still upset and unconvinced by a frozen meat importer’s claims that “saboteurs” were responsible for the illegal re-labelling of its products, including cases where pork was re-labelled as halaal lamb or beef cuts.

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Muslim authorities are still upset and unconvinced by a frozen meat importer’s claims that “saboteurs” were responsible for the illegal re-labelling of its products, including cases where pork was re-labelled as halaal lamb or beef cuts.

Orion Cold Storage, based in Muizenberg, Western Cape, has acknowledged that re-labelling activities took place and committed to a court undertaking to refrain from the re-labelling activities. However, it contends it is a victim of sabotage.

The Red Meat Industry Forum (RMIF), the South African Meat Industry Company (Samic), and 15 members of the South African National Halaal Authority (SANHA), sought an urgent court interdict to prevent Orion from continuing a range of alleged activities. These include the re-labelling of pork, buffalo and kangaroo meat as sheep or beef products, and in some instances as halaal.

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The allegations have rocked the Muslim community, which has staged protests both at Orion’s premises and outside the High Court. The Muslim Judicial Council Halaal Trust (MJCHT), which issues halaal certificates in the country, has suspended its halaal certification to Orion consignments.

The High Court did not grant the applicant’s interdict to prevent Orion from doing business, but this was not necessary in light of a court undertaking by Orion managing director Patrick Gaertner to refrain from the activities listed on the interdict application.

Gaertner denied his company or management had any involvement in or knowledge of illegal activities. He said his company is the victim of sabotage and blackmail and has laid criminal charges, including sabotage, blackmail and extortion, against two people.

But Moulana Mohammed Saeed Navlakhi, theological director of the SANHA, said he is not convinced by these claims. “No, we are not convinced about his allegations of blackmail. We have submitted evidence which proves he is not only aware of [these activities], but he profited from it.”

Navlakhi said that in the court undertaking, Gaertner had agreed not to change the labels on imported meat or re-label products as halaal. “He also accepted the labelling of imported poultry as halaal, saying that based on the information he had, the plant it was imported from was halaal. But you can’t use that discretion yourself. You hand it over to the Muslim Judicial Council and let them do the verification.”

In his court undertaking, Gaertner invited the MJCHT to carry out inspections relating to halaal certification at Orion and undertook to employ a person nominated by the MJCHT to monitor daily operations to ensure that halaal-certified products maintained their authenticity through the receiving, labelling, packaging, storage and dispatch phases.

However, Navlakhi doubted this attempt to regain the confidence of the community and of the traders who dealt with Orion would succeed. “The [matter] is of such a serious nature that I don’t think the Muslim Judicial Council or the [general] trade will be comfortable dealing with such a business again,” he said. – Robyn Joubert