Saleswoman giving home keys to new property owner. Close up of real estate agent hand giving house keys to indian man. Agent giving apartment key to new owner after putting the word sold on for sale sign outside the house.
A wave of real estate fraud has left a number of Ekurhuleni families destitute, stripped of their savings and their homes.
What began as the promise of affordable property has ended in homelessness, broken livelihoods and children forced out of classrooms.
Victims who sold houses or invested compensation payouts now find themselves renting cramped rooms, relying on relatives, or living in poverty after discovering the homes they paid for never existed.
The scandal, involving alleged fake lawyers and estate agents now facing court, exposes not only criminal deception but also the fragility of the housing market, where the dream of security can so easily collapse into despair.
Victims speak out
One of the victims, Cynthia Mgunyazi, from Tsakane, said she was left homeless after selling her four-roomed house in order to buy a smaller house after losing her job.
“I sold my house for R200 000 and paid R150 000 for the smaller house. Since last December, we have been renting a place because the agent told us we would move into the new house after two months,” she said.
“But I found out later that I had been defrauded.”
Another victim, Thembi Kutumela, from Mayfield, Benoni, sold her house for R350 000, hoping to buy a new one nearby.
She alleged the fraudsters – who later disappeared – kept on delaying the process of moving into the new house.
“I have been renting a place, but last month I ran out of funds, and the landlord kicked us out,” she said.
“Now we are staying with relatives and family friends and this is affecting my children because they are still in primary school.
“We keep on moving because people can’t accommodate us for a long time. My children are sometimes forced to skip school because of this situation.”
Kutumela said she was defrauded of more than R200 000.
Another victim, Mamorena Maroa la, said she is renting a place in Duduza where she stays with her husband and two daughters.
“In 2020, I was involved in a car accident, and the Road Accident Fund paid me R250 000. I used some money to buy a house that never existed,” she said.
“My husband works at a local supermarket, and he is the one paying rent.”
Another victim, from Tembisa, who asked to remain anonymous, said she stays in a two-roomed house with her husband and four children after paying R270 000 for a house that never existed.
“After we were defrauded, my husband was always stressed and lost his job as a result,” she said.
“Before trying to buy the house, we were renting a bigger place and moved to the small space as we were preparing to move into the new house.”
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Master minds arrested
Alleged fake lawyer Lerato Ramanyimi and her husband Nicolus were arrested over the housing scam. They are out on bail. Six estate agents are expected to appear for bail applications at the Benoni Magistrate’s Court soon.
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