By OBAKENG MAJE
8 May 2025- The National Consumer Commission (NCC) said it provides information on the recall of the lithium-ion batteries of Santa Cruz Heckler 9 ebikes and the Tissue Box Toy sold with the Fisher-Price 3-in-1 SnugaPuppy Activity Centers, as notified by the suppliers. The NCC said Mattel South Africa notified it that they are recalling the Tissue Box Toy due to a defective component cover coming apart, making the internal support brackets (small parts) accessible.
The NCC spokesperson, Phetho Ntaba said the detachable tissue box toy can come apart, exposing the support brackets. Ntaba said this poses a choking hazard to young children.
“This product was made available for sale nationally from 2023 to 2025 at the following suppliers: Amazon Com Ser (SA) Pty Ltd, Lilliput Novelties (Pty) Ltd, OneDayOnly Offers (Pty) Ltd, Loot Online (Pty) Ltd, Takealot Online (Pty) Ltd, Toy Kingdom (Pty) Ltd, and Amic Trading (Pty) Ltd (Toys R Us).
“The tissue box toy is on the table’s underside, near the Fisher-Price logo. It is white with red decorations and has “tissues” made of sensory cloth. On one side, it has a black and white wiggly striped pattern and on the other, a yellow/green pattern with raised spots,” she said.
Ntaba further said consumers are urged to immediately stop using the recalled tissue box toy, remove it from the activity center, and keep it away from young children. She added that consumers should contact Fisher-Price to return the tissue toy box in exchange for a refund for the toy only.
“The supplier, Santa Cruz Bicycles, LLC, informed the NCC that they are recalling the interchangeable 720w lithium-ion batteries of the Santa Cruz Heckler 9 ebikes. The interchangeable 720w lithium-ion battery resides inside a black case under the frame. According to the supplier, their investigation and testing revealed that a small number of batteries supplied to certain Heckler ebikes may be at an increased risk of an electrical short circuit.
“In such cases, this may pose a fire hazard, resulting in a risk of injury or property damage. The affected Santa Cruz Heckler 9 ebikes were made available from February 2022 to April 2025 and were sold nationally. Consumers are urged to stop using the e-bikes immediately and disconnect the battery from the Heckler 9 e-bike and charger,” said Ntaba.
She said they should contact Santa Cruz Bicycle if they have sold or gifted it to anyone and forward this information. Ntaba said consumers are encouraged to check whether their battery is affected by visiting the Santa Cruz Bicycles recall page: (https://santacruzbicycles.com/pages/recall-heckler-9-lithium-ion-battery).
“If affected, they can register to receive a replacement battery at no extra cost,” she said.
The Guardian 