By Lumka Oliphant
To Ion Pop, a Romanian, post-apartheid South Africa was a promised land of milk and honey. So, when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Pop saw an opportunity to come to South Africa to look for the good life.
But, judging from the way things have turned out for Pop, this country has brought nothing but pain and misery.
Not only were the tendons in Pop's left foot allegedly stolen during an illegal operation, but an invention has been taken from him, his house has been repossessed - and he expects to be arrested soon for allegedly overspending his credit card by R2-million, an allegation he denies.
According to Pop, during his eight-year stay in South Africa, he invented a portable testing machine which can be used in the coal mining industry. He allegedly sold the machine, the idea and the plans for R100 000 to Sekela Projects in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, a company to which he was contracted at the time.
But Pop received only R25 000 because, while still contracted to Sekela Projects, he created another machine that was better than the first one. When he showed it to Louis Calitz, the owner of the company, the latter demanded the plans for the second invention before he would pay Pop the rest of the money for his first invention.
Calitz claimed that, with the first invention, they had reached an agreement whereby Pop would give Calitz all the rights and plans to any subsequent inventions.
In fact, according to correspondence and taped telephone conversations in possession of the Saturday Star, Calitz refused to pay Pop unless he provided him with all the documentation pertaining to the second invention.
Calitz also claimed that Pop's first invention was useless. When Calitz was approached with the suggestion that we go to his business premises to see whether Pop's old invention was defective, he responded: "If Mr Pop wants to be clever by going to the newspapers, then he must be clever."
However, the Saturday Star found a clause in the signed agreement to the effect that, in case of any dissatisfaction, Calitz should have returned the invention to Pop within 14 days. Furthermore, nowhere in the agreement did Pop award Sekela exclusive rights to all his future inventions.
When the Saturday Star again suggested an inspection of the machine, Calitz refused and slammed down the phone.
Last week, the Saturday Star reported that Pop lost four of his left foot tendons to an unscrupulous doctor, Charalambos Revelas, who was only supposed to remove a corn from the foot.
The Johannesburg High Court has ordered Revelas to pay damages, but the doctor has emigrated to Australia without doing so. The Roseacres Clinic in Germiston has refused to accept liability for the case.
Pop, a technician, came to South Africa with his wife Olympia, who has 19 years' experience in the electronic field; his son, who is a website designer; and his daughter, who is a computer programmer.
Because of all his misfortunes, Pop is battling to survive.
"I have sought help everywhere. I have no confidence in attorneys because I was ripped off at least seven times while trying to get help," he says.
Pop has come to the conclusion that he gets ripped off because people think he is stupid due to his poor English.