A hopeful jobseeker from Tembisa says she has been left feeling helpless after she was conned out of her valuables.
The Zimbabwean woman, Ms Flater Tshuma, said the incident happened shortly after she had placed an advert in the Tembisan’s sister publication, Bedfordview and Edenvale News, on March 2, offering her services as a domestic worker.
The advert was published on March 8.
“I received a phone call on March 10 from a woman named Pamela offering me a job,” said Ms Tshuma.
“Pamela said she was looking for a person to work Mondays to Fridays and offered me R4 500 a month,” said Ms Tshuma.
The potential employer asked Ms Tshuma if she had a passport and a work permit.
“I told the woman I had a passport but no work permit,” said Ms Tshuma.
Pamela told Ms Tshuma it would cost her R1 400 to obtain a work permit and offered to pay half of the fee.
Ms Tshuma said she was told to meet Pamela at a First Avenue address near the intersection of Linksfield Road.
When Ms Tshuma went to meet Pamela, she said she got lost.
“Pamela phoned me and asked me where I was. Because I got lost she told me she could no longer meet me and told me to meet her driver, who would assist me,” she said.
She said she did not suspect anything suspicious, as Pamela had asked her for her uniform size.
After meeting Pamela’s driver, Ms Tshuma was told she was not going to be taken to the Edenvale Home Affairs but instead to the Germiston offices, as they were less busy.
Ms Tshuma said at the Germiston Home Affairs she was told to place R700, half of the money for a worker’s permit, into her passport and give it to the driver, as he knew people inside who could assist her.
The driver came back to Ms Tshuma and said he needed an additional R300, she said.
“I told him I only had R200 on me at the time. The driver offered to pay the other R100,” said Ms Tshuma.
Shortly after taking an additional R200 into the Home Affairs building, the man returned and told Ms Tshuma he needed an ID photograph of her, she said.
“I only had a photograph on my phone so I gave my phone to him. The man took my phone inside and never returned,” said Ms Tshuma.
Ms Tshuma said after she phoned the man on another cellphone she was told to wait where she was and that he would be out soon.
He never returned.
Ms Tshuma said she has since tried phoning the driver but has received no response.
She said she believed she was conned by Pamela and the driver, as Pamela phoned her a few days later.
“Pamela phoned me and said she heard that my valuables were taken from me. She identified the specific valuables which I had lost. I found this suspicious as I never told her about it,” said Ms Tshuma.
Ms Tshuma said she tried opening a case at the Germiston SAPS but was told there was little the police could do as she willingly gave the valuables to the man.
“I don’t have any money; I don’t know what to do,” said Ms Tshuma.
Captain Jean Olckers, spokesperson for the Edenvale SAPS, said no cases using a similar modus operandi had been reported to the Edenvale SAPS.
The district manager for operations of Home Affairs in Ekurhuleni, Ms Mamokubung Moeketsi, said the Germiston Home Affairs office has not received reports of any similar incidents.
Ms Moeketsi said that applications for work permits are not made at any of the Home Affairs offices.
She said they are instead done by VFS Global, a service provider contracted to deal with visas.
Ms Moeketsi said the cost for a new work permit is R1 520, and an additional administrative fee of R1 350 is charged by VFS Global.
She said the total amount needed is R2 870.
“To obtain a work permit individuals must apply for a visa online by filling in an online form. A payment will be made electronically by the applicant and the person will be given an appointment for a meeting at the VFS Global offices either in Sandton or Rivonia,” said Ms Moeketsi.
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