Cape Town - Visiting the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown was a “nightmare, upsetting and a disappointment” for a Lavender Hill-based group of dancers who were allegedly conned out of almost R20 000 by a supposed accommodation agent.
The dance group, comprising four adults and 18 children between the ages of seven and 17, had between May and June paid R19 000 into a bank account for “luxury accommodation” to a Stan Dooling.
The Lavender Beamers group took a bus to Grahamstown, arriving there on July 1, and started searching for the two addresses where the accommodation was located.
According to Lavender Beamers manager Dane Willemse, they found a vacant plot and a shack house belonging to another family.
“We were shocked and did not know what to do when we found out that we had been scammed, because when we called the person called Stan, his phone was on voicemail,” said Willemse.
She said because their performance was scheduled for the following day, they tried to explain to the event organisers that they had been scammed and needed alternative accommodation.
“We had to sleep on the floor,” Willemse said, adding that there was no hot water to bath and no pots to cook food.
“We asked people to help us with hot water and to assist us to cook, but all the people wanted was cash in exchange for any service that they would give us,” she said, adding that the last time the group ate was on the night they arrived.
They performed the following day, and afterwards the organisers found them a place to stay. But things got even worse when their laptop, a cellphone and their remaining cash was stolen.
With the laptop containing the songs and lyrics that would have helped them in rehearsals, Willemse said she decided it was time to go home and cancel their next two perfomances.
“Everyone was angry, disappointed and sad to a point that we will never go to Grahamstown again, never. I was very upset. It was totally bad,” said Willemse.
“People there (in Grahamstown) are not trustworthy, all they are after is money. We tried to explain our situation to them and that we have young children, but they would not listen,” she said.
Grahamstown police spokesman Milanda Coetzer said her office was aware of the dancers’ situation.
“We are in communication with them,” she said, adding that many people had come to the police saying they had been conned by a man offering accommodation in the area.
Coetzer added that although a case had not been opened, police were conducting their own investigation into all the reported incidents.
Cape Times