* The article first appeared in the Vaalweekblad of 10 February.
Several dissatisfied customers are jointly claiming R157 147.84 from this Vanderbijlpark trailer maker who apparently took money for the construction of trailers, but did not fulfill his part of the agreements.
At least six dissatisfied customers say in affidavits that Van Rooyen owes them thousands of rands.
They simultaneously turned to the Small Claims Court on Friday, 5 February in an attempt to recover the money they paid Van Rooyen for the construction of trailers.
* Pastor Francis Cloete, a Gauteng evangelist, demands an amount of R12 800.
Cloete says he asked Van Rooyen in October last year to build him a trailer according to specifications that would serve as a mobile accommodation unit for travel around the country. Cloete says that he first had to pay a deposit of R7 000 to Carina van Vuuren, a friend of Van Rooyen, before work could start and that he later paid amounts of R11 500 and R2 500.
After Van Rooyen later sent Cloete photos of the trailer, he noticed that the windows had been installed incorrectly.
Cloete spoke to Van Rooyen about it and he apparently undertook to fix it.
After that it was apparently a struggle to get hold of him and Cloete visited Van Rooyen’s smallholding several times to look for him there.
Cloete says he would later find out that Van Rooyen had exchanged his trailer for a man from Rustenburg.
After Cloete Van Rooyen confronted about it, Van Rooyen apparently undertook to repay all the money. Cloete says Van Rooyen still owes him R12 800.
* Jim Cupido says that in 2019 he had to pay an amount of R27 000 into the account of Carina van Vuuren, a friend of Van Rooyen, before Van Rooyen could build a trailer for him.
Cupido says that he first paid the deposit of R17 000, and then later an amount of R10 000 before Van Rooyen would deliver the completed trailer to him.
“Dewald initially said that they had delivered the trailer incorrectly in Senekal. It was then to Westonaria and so he dished out one excuse after another,”he says.
Cupido recounts how he kept trying to get hold of Van Rooyen, but that Van Rooyen either did not answer his phone or changed his number repeatedly.
According to Cupido, a trailer was delivered to him at one stage, but the trailer did not have a brake axle, chassis or data plate and he consequently asked Van Rooyen to fix the brewing work.
Cupid never saw the wagon or his money again. Cupido says he has already filed a charge of theft against Van Rooyen. He demands R27 000 from Van Rooyen.
* Tony Brazao says that he bought a trailer from Van Rooyen for R26 000, but when he received the trailer, he discovered that there was something wrong with it.
Van Rooyen apparently came to pick up the trailer at Brazao with the promise to fix it. Brazao says he never saw the trailer or his R26 000 again.
According to Brazao, Van Rooyen offered one apology after another.
As was the case with the other cases, Brazao says that Van Rooyen asked him to pay the money to Carina before work could begin.
Brazao turned to the Small Claims Court to recover the amount of R26 000 from Van Rooyen.
* Another plaintiff, Susan Claassen, says that Van Rooyen rented buildings from her at one stage. She apparently paid him R5 000 to build a water van for her that could carry 1 000 liters, but the completed car was so rottenly built that it could not even carry 300 liters of water.
In addition, she complains that Van Rooyen owes her rent of R15 000 and electricity money of R15 487.84.
* Freek de Bruin claims that Van Rooyen owes him R48 500 after he asked Van Rooyen to build him a trailer and paraffin tank for an amount of R99 500.
After the money was paid into Carina’s account, de Bruin says that Van Rooyen first “brought him to hell after a struggle”, but that it looked as if it had been thrown from a truck. However, the tank was also without pedestals.
The trailer was also delivered later, but De Bruin was not satisfied with it as the trailer did not have a brake axle. Van Rooyen took the wagon under the pretext that he would fix it, but has not yet brought it back.
* Another client, Hulisani Mabaya, is demanding R12 000 after he allegedly asked Van Rooyen to build him a trailer. The wagon was never delivered to him.
* Vaalweekblad approached Dewald van Rooyen for comment. He let us know via WhatsApp message that he is aware of all the claims filed against him. According to him, he no longer builds caravans, as his business is now closed.
He says his lawyer helps him to sort everything out and that in time he will provide “evidence” to Vaalweekblad, but the time time of going to print he hadn’t.
