The police in KwaZulu-Natal are hunting for a foreign pastor who runs a church in Umbilo in Durban to answer why his house in Pinetown was being used to manufacture fake hair products.

The discovery was made on Tuesday while police were following a trail of a flow bin which was stolen at Westmead industrial site near Pinetown in the west of Durban. 

Intelligence information led the police to a house in Somerset Place in Pinetown where the stolen flow bin was found and recovered. 

During an extensive search, the police found that the house was being used to manufacture various fake hair products. 

“Initial investigation revealed that the barcodes on the products are of a different product from a North American country. 

“Two undocumented foreign nationals were found hiding in the ceiling and were arrested. Two women, one of them a foreign national were also arrested,” the police said.

They said investigations further revealed that the house is owned by a foreign national, a known pastor who has a church in Umbilo. 

“His vehicle, which was branded with the photographs of himself and his wife, as well as pictures of various brands of the hair products, was found parked in the yard. 

“Police also found invoices indicating that the hair products have been sold to renowned wholesalers, retail stores and hair salons, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape province. A search for the owner of the house is underway,” the police added. 

The suspects, aged between 34 and 37 years old, will appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 27 November 2024.