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Friday, March 2, 2001 - Web posted at 9:12:52 AM GMT Wanted car dealer lands in SA jail A SHADY businessman, who ran a scam selling expensive cars, was arrested in South Africa last week a day after fleeing Namibia with his customers' cash. Ockert 'Ockie' Pretorius, owner of Auto Toy Store in Windhoek's Northern Industrial Area, was arrested at the Skilpadpoort border post last Thursday for the illegal possession of a firearm, Police spokesman Chief Inspector Hophni Hamufungu said yesterday. Hamufungu said Pretorius was in police custody in Littletown, Pretoria. The car dealer fled Namibia quietly last week, abandoning his wife and child, as well as the business with several top of the range vehicles on the sales floor. On Friday Auto Toy Store was besieged by angry customers who said they had paid large deposits for cars that he had promised to order for them because they were not available in his shop. One customer claimed he paid N$100 000 up front, a quarter of the price of the sports car Pretorius allegedly promised to get from overseas. Another man said he paid N$60 000. Many others put down several thousands of dollars for the promise of luxury vehicles, which had not been delivered for three months or longer. Some of the customers reportedly grabbed cars from the showroom last week, but the Police have warned that such actions are illegal. At the end of January Pretorius failed to pay his workers. They went on strike accusing him and his managers of living large and going on holiday to Zimbabwe. He paid them after the Ministry of Labour intervened. Last week Pretorius hurriedly left Windhoek and his luxury house in upmarket Ludwigsdorf. Police put out an alert saying they were looking for him to "discuss complaints" about his dealership. It is believed Pretorius has appeared in court in South Africa, where he was wanted on two charges of theft and two of fraud related to previous car sale scams in Johannesburg. Asked about his status in Namibia, Hamufungu said: "We are waiting for him. We have three fraud cases [against him] at the moment, but we are likely to have more, depending on the information to come from the public." "Pretorius hit the headlines late last year when lawmaker Patricia Siska claimed he duped her into selling her Mercedes-Benz for her. She said Pretorius made a profit of N$80 000, but he refused to share it with her. Pretorius claimed the money was used on repairs on the vehicle, which was still under warranty. Last week Pretorius hit the headlines again after the court found that he failed to pay Daewoo Motors in Swakopmund for cars he sold on their behalf. One of the Daewoo owners described Pretorius as a "past master of tricks in the motor trade". Pretorius fled South Africa in 1996 with his wife and child, leaving a three storey house fully furnished with pets after he failed to pay customers money from cars he sold for them. He ran a dealership called Exclusive Toys for Boys, similar to Auto Toy Store. A Nissan car dealer in Cleveland, South Africa, where he was employed said Pretorius cooked up an intricate scam recording high car sales figures that had not taken place and claiming a commission. His scams apparently involved millions of dollars. Pretorius is a high flyer who has close friendships with senior Government officials. He has said that he sponsored Namibia's only world boxing champion, Harry Simon, to the tune of more than N$400 000. |
PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 236970 - Fax: +264 (61) 233980 e-mail: info@namibian.com.na webmaster@namibian.com.na
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