Durban - A LOCAL radio personality and his wife have allegedly taken a foreigner for a ride.
When Nhavoto Aristides Andrade left Maputo in Mozambique in 2017 with his father, he was excited about the prospect of a better life in South Africa.
“My father is a medical doctor. He had the opportunity to move to South Africa and work in the mines. I moved with him and we lived in Johannesburg. After a while I decided to move to Durban. I started working as a tiler.
“We often had jobs in areas in the north, like Ballito, which meant I’d have to cough up R100 a day to travel.”
Tired of having to wake as early as 4.30am to begin his taxi commute, and always running short of finances, Andrade decided to invest in a car.
“My days were long. By the time I got home it was 7pm, and my wife was pregnant, so I decided to get a car.
“In August last year, I told my friend I wanted a car. He told me he knew of a man, Yusuph Kadoo, who was selling his vehicle. My friend said he was a popular radio DJ and that he was a good person, so I trusted him,” said Andrade.
The vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, was selling for R19 000.
Under the agreement between Andrade and Kadoo’s wife (Kadoo signed as a witness) Andrade would initially pay R11000. He would then take the car and the logbook and pay the remaining amount over the next few months.
“When I went to see the vehicle in Parlock, I liked it, but there were a few things that still needed to be fixed. Yusuph did the talking and he told me that he and his wife would get the repairs done.
“On the same day, I paid the couple R6 000. The following day, I asked my boss if he could give me an advance on my salary. I paid R7 000 a few days later to the couple but the vehicle was nowhere to be seen. They told me it had gone in for repairs and I could get it in a few days.”
After three days, Andrade asked Kadoo again if the car was ready. He was told it was being repaired and they would contact him when it was ready.
“I’ve been calling them since, but they don’t answer. My wife was pregnant at the time I was purchasing the vehicle.
“I thought that with the vehicle, I could take her out and take the baby for her doctor appointments.
“I also wanted to start a lift club to earn more money, so I could save and move out of the informal settlement and into a proper home. But without the vehicle I lost everything. I have not yet been paid because I took an advance on my salary.
“My baby is now two months old and I can hardly afford nappies and food. My father was helping me but he has since moved to Germany. We live a hard life and I regret giving them my hard-earned R13 000.”
Andrade said he got tired of not hearing from the couple and eventually went to their home to find them.
“I was told that they moved away. Apparently they moved to Pietermaritzburg.
“I opened a case against them but they called, saying they would pay me back my money. This was last month. I still have not received a cent.”
Captain Nqobile Gwala, the KZN police spokesperson, confirmed that a case of fraud had been opened at Newlands East police station.
When POST contacted Kadoo, he declined to comment, other than to say he would supply his lawyer’s details in the week.
POST