An Alex man who was allegedly swindled of R25 000 by a woman for a house she advertised for sale is still waiting to recover his money a year later.
Lesole Mokwena’s plight was exposed by this paper’s web article Woman cons man over house on 20 October. He said the house on 9th Avenue was advertised for R35 000 by Vuyiswa Annah Lengoati in October last year, when she said she was relocating to another area. Mokwena paid her the R25 000 through an affidavit with an agreement to offset the balance after taking occupation of the house. A year later, and after several failed attempts to occupy the house, Lesole has asked to be refunded, but alleges every time that Lengoati reneges. The latest was on 30 October which Lesole said has now been shifted to 3 December.
A desperate Lesole, who stays in a shack, used a bank loan for the purchase. He says the actions of Lengoati is unforgivable as the bank deducts repayments from his account monthly while he languishes in a shack when she sleeps comfortably in a house that he had bought. He said he lodged his case with the courts, but she failed to attend. “All I want is my money,” he stressed.
Rose Mabokela, a former Alex resident now in Port Elizabeth, is another victim of the scam. She said she paid Lengoati R10 000 in 2011 for the same house with an agreement to pay the balance of R15 000 through instalments after occupying the house. “Whenever I call to ask for my refund she doesn’t answer to my calls, but I will not give up.” She is pursuing the matter through the small claims as she doubts any possibility of getting the house. When contacted, Lengoati referred the call to her lawyer, a Mrs Khuzwayo who threatened to sue if the matter was disclosed by this paper.
Mabokela and Mokwena said they will appreciate any assistance to recover their money and urged people getting into any housing transactions in Alexandra to be more circumspect to avoid their experiences happening.
