Cape Town - More businesses from other parts of the country have come forward after charges were laid against a self-proclaimed “successful businessman” who allegedly swindled restaurants and suppliers of their hard-earned cash.
Weekend Argus last week exclusively reported on Luan Schultz’s alleged dubious dealings in the hospitality industry and the trail of devastation it left in Cape Town.
More complaints have surfaced from businesses in Milnerton to Pretoria.
Owner of the prestigious Mountain Manor Guest House in Oranjezicht, Michelle Whitehead, told Weekend Argus that Schultz “dined and dashed”, leaving her in a financial predicament.
“He was spending the weekend at my guest house last month ... he slept there, ate and drank. He never paid the R7 000 bill,” said an emotional Whitehead.
“He literally dined and dashed ... he told me he had a guest house too and that it was fully booked ... he wanted a place to stay at ... I opened my heart and place to him and his boyfriend.”
Whitehead said she didn’t open a case but “wrote it off” as “bad debt”.
“I am just another victim of his smoothness,” she said.
Schultz were apparently on a “defrauding spree” in Pretoria too.
“The man you reported on Sunday (last week) swindled me out of R300 000,” said Jacques Jardine, a business owner in Pretoria North, showing Weekend Argus the proof.
Jardine don’t want the name of his business mentioned, due to the fear of losing patrons.
“He paid back roughly around a R100 000, but that was because the court ordered the sheriff to attach his assets,” said Jardine, adding that Schultz was “always on the run”.
“Every fortnight he had a different address ... he then moved to Cape Town, where, according to your articles, he defrauded more people.”
Spokesperson for the Tshwane SAPS Senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba, warned that the police would not sit on their laurels this festive season as “we will continue to deploy members in all hotspots in the entire city for law enforcement and those found to be on the wrong side of the law, they will be dealt with.”
DA Gauteng's spokesperson for community safety Crezane Bosch said she would conduct her own probe in regards to the Pretoria incident.
“This is a very disturbing incident and I will look into the matter,” said Bosch.
“I also want to warn restaurants and hospitality businesses to not fall for similar scams ... ramp up your security, install those CCTV cameras, have a cash bar and don’t give stuff away on credit,” she said.
Riaan Goosen from Cape Town said Schultz allegedly pilfered R30 000 from him.
“He wanted me to buy printers from him, but it never materialised,” said Goosen, who said he also didn’t open a case as he learnt that the other slew of charges again Schultz “were stalling”.
“R30 000 is not a lot of money, but look, if he took R30 000 from me, R10 000 from someone else or even R500, if you count all of this up it’s a lot of money,” said Goosen.
“I still don’t know where he is,” said Goosen.
As previously reported, a warrant of arrest against Schultz was issued after he failed to appear in Cape Town Magistrate’s Court for a case which was opened by Preehen Naidu, who owns Ivy on Park, previously known as Kind Regards.
“The accused failed to appear in court. A warrant of arrest was issued,” said NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.
Naidu, 35, told Weekend Argus last week that he “was disappointed” with Schultz’s actions.
“He offered to revamp one of my other places (restaurants) after he offered R2.5m to buy into my business ... bear in mind, he was supposed to pay for (the renovations). But I had to pay for everything - that’s if he didn’t take everything on credit that I now have to pay for,” said an emotional Naidu.
“In another incident, he said, ‘there’s a good deal’ on printers and tablets. He wanted R30 000. The money went straight into his account,“ he said.
But that deal also soured after Naidu claimed the quality of the products that arrived did not match what was promised.
“Two printers arrived. It was a (bad) brand. The tablets were useless. That we sent back,” said Naidu.
Things got so out of hand that employees are not even paid, after Schultz allegedly rerouted staff payments to his own bank account.
A former employee, who wanted to stay anonymous, told Weekend Argus that Naidu “owe myself and former employees money”.
The ex-worker claimed that a case was opened at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
“The same people who got swindled have swindled many others before.”
Naidu claimed that they couldn’t pay their staff as Schultz “pocketed all the money”.
Owner of Boujee, Ladipo Akindele, also opened a case. He told Weekend Argus Schultz defrauded his business by allegedly re-routing up to R1.6m from his business before he caught on.
Weekend Argus.