Zimbabweans fall prey to fake SA permit scam

A Zimbabwean man is still struggling to recover his money a year after being duped into applying for a permit that turned out to be fake.
Morelife Namara told The Zimbabwean this week that he lost R4,000 to a company called Executive Travel last year, in what now appears to be a permit scam.
"I paid R4,000 when I applied for the permit and the agent took my details, pay slip and proof of residence," said Namara, who lives in Johannesburg.
But Namara became suspicious after he advised the agent that he wanted to travel home sometime this year.

"When I told him that I was going to the border, he said my permit was not ready to pass the border and asked me to pay an extra R1,200, but I refused and continued with my journey. At the border, I was told that my passport was fake.
"When I called the agent back to ask him what was happening, he only said he was sorry and did not propose any remedial action. Now he is no longer taking my calls. I want a valid permit or my money back from him."
Countless efforts to get a comment from the agent were fruitless. Having initially claimed his permits were genuine and promised a meeting with our reporter, he stopped answering calls.
Police in Pretoria, from where the agent, who called himself 'Ryan', used to operate, said they would only start a search after a formal report was made.
Namara, who said he could recognise the suspected criminal if he met him again, said he delayed making the report hoping that Ryan would meet him halfway and either pay back his money or give him a valid permit.