Small town Vryheid detective tracks down elusive suspected con man

NEARLY a year after losing R20 000 in a suspected scam, a Louwsberg businesswoman is finally closer to seeing justice prevail.

Sandra Meyer is grateful to Louwsberg detective, Constable Philani Madide, for relentlessly pursuing every lead until he was able to track down André Smit, the man she told police had claimed he could assist with a visa for Dubai, but disappeared with her money instead.

“My sister-in-law was in Dubai and their visa had lapsed. Usually, the company her husband worked for in Dubai would sponsor the visa but the company closed and he was without a sponsor. She desperately wanted to be in South Africa for her daughter’s wedding and her pastor told her that he knew someone who may be able to help,” says Sandra, explaining how she was conned.

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“The pastor introduced her to a man called André Smit. André said he was a consultant at the embassy and would be able to assist. My sister-in-law gave him some money to pay for the visa, but he claimed he needed more money, so she asked for my help. André first asked me for R5 000. At that stage, we did not know that the pastor, as well as another friend of ours, had already given him money. We then received a call from him and he said he was at the embassy and he urgently needed another R5 000 to complete the application. Altogether, I paid him R20 000. Then I refused to pay any more. He became angry and aggressive over the phone and said that my sister would not get a visa if he didn’t get more money. At that stage, my sister-in-law urged us to stop paying him any more money. When he realised he wasn’t going to get any more money, he ended all communication with us.”

Sandra went to the police in December last year after being advised by a prosecutor that she had a good case. In hindsight, she says she should have known it was a scam.

“There were certain red flags we should have picked up on,” she admits. “Firstly, every time he phoned me to ask for money, he was always in a hurry. He always needed the money immediately. He would say things like, ‘I need the money now! I am here now!’ He always gave this sense of urgency when asking for money. Secondly, I should never have trusted him without doing my own investigation first and finding out if he actually was who he said he was.”

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Constable Madide said he had eventually tracked André down at the Johannesburg Crimes Court, where he had appeared in connection with other fraud cases last Thursday. Following André’s court appearance, Const Madide brought him to the Vryheid police station where he was charged for fraud. He was transferred to Louwsburg the next day and appeared in the Louwsburg Magistrate’s court on Friday. It is likely that the state will oppose bail as André may be considered a flight risk.

“I would like to thank W/O Bzayi and Const Zwane for their assistance in bringing André back to Louwsburg,” said Const Madide.

“It really is something for a small town detective to have caught such a big fish,” concluded Sandra. “I would like to thank Const Madide for his patience with me and his determination to bring this guy to book. It was our savings that he took. It was money we worked hard for.”