UDM leader Bantu Holomisa this week accused WesBank of being in cahoots with a BMW dealership in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, to defraud clients.
Holomisa, in an open letter to WesBank’s CEO, Chris de Kock, said according to victims who have approached him with information the balance of probabilities points to WesBank having swindled a significant number of South Africans.
“There are now at least 30 other people who have been party to vehicle sales transactions borne out of alleged fraudulent misrepresentations, destroying many people’s lives in the process. All these seemingly fraudulent transactions that were initiated at the BMW Melrose Arch dealership in Sandton were all financed by WesBank,” Holomisa charged.
The disgruntled BMW Melrose Arch clients have come together under the banner Crusaders for Justice.
One of the members of the group, Devy de Klerk, said Wes- Bank purports that he traded in a vehicle when he made the purchase, while that is not the case.
Another modus operandi flagged by Holomisa and the group was that extras were added to their contracts without them even knowing that they were extras. These include group life insurance at R25 900 for a certain Mzukisi Ndara and a digital braking system at a cost of R60 000 for Cheryl Moosa.
Ghana Msibi, WesBank executive head of the motor division, is aware of the letter and will be responding to Holomisa on all the matters he has raised.
“We remain committed to treating our customers fairly and we are continuously engaging with all parties to reach an amicable solution for all,” Msibi said.
This is not the first time that the now closed Melrose Arch Auto has been accused of having engaged in fraudulent behaviour.
In an exposé by investigative journal ism TV series Carte Blanche last year, the dealership was accused by its clients of having fooled them with a bogus cash-back dealer-assist investment scheme.
By Kabelo Khumalo
