Police in Limpopo have issued a warrant of arrest for Francois Swart, the Managing Director of travel agency, Priority Escapes.
The Fourways-based company is accused of defrauding would-be holiday makers in Modimolle of millions of rands, after it promised them holiday destinations in the Maldives and other investments.
To confirm their bookings, the unsuspecting victims paid either deposits or the full amount to Maldives and received fake confirmation documents from the holiday swindler.
They victims were made to believe that their trips to Maldives were booked and paid for only to be advised, at the last moment, that the trips had been canceled “due to financial challenges the agency faced.”
“According to the information available at this stage, a case of fraud was opened at the Modimolle Police Station in August.
The complainant alleged two companies were defrauded of more than R130,000 by Priority Escapes,” read a statement from the police.
Meanwhile, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) said together with the National Prosecuting Authority they have obtained a preservation order against the fugitive Swart.
The order is to freeze any money available in two bank accounts belonging to both Swart and Priority Escapes.
The NCC found that both Swart and Priority Escapes contravened section 47 (3) of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
“If a supplier makes a commitment or accepts a reservation to supply goods or services on a specified date or at a specified time and, on the date and at the time contemplated in the commitment or reservation, fails because of insufficient stock or capacity to supply those goods or services, or similar or comparable goods or services of the same or better quality, class or nature, the supplier must refund to the consumer the amount if any, paid in respect of that commitment or reservation, together with interest at the prescribed rate from the date on which the amount was paid until the date of reimbursement,” explained NCC Acting Consumer Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza, about the offense committed by Swart and his company.
The NCC found that both Swart and Priority Escapes contravened section 47 (3) of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
“If a supplier makes a commitment or accepts a reservation to supply goods or services on a specified date or at a specified time and, on the date and at the time contemplated in the commitment or reservation, fails because of insufficient stock or capacity to supply those goods or services, or similar or comparable goods or services of the same or better quality, class or nature, the supplier must refund to the consumer the amount, if any, paid in respect of that commitment or reservation, together with interest at the prescribed rate from the date on which the amount was paid until the date of reimbursement,” said the NCC Acting Consumer Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza, about the offense committed by Swart and his company.
Mabuza highlighted that the NCC is also investigating two more travel agencies trading as Kaybe Holdings, its director, Travel Plug with its director respectively, after it received complaints from consumers alleging that the “companies took consumers money in exchange for trips to various destinations such as Botswana, Namibia, Bangkok, Zanzibar among others which were canceled, and consumers not refunded.”
The NCC appealed to consumers to exercise caution and do background checks where possible when interacting with suppliers.
