A Gauteng man has been left in distress after buying a car which was later taken away by Standard Bank.

Alliah Bhanga Naidoo, a 61-year-old from Vereeniging, said he bought a VW Golf GTI 7 in September 2021 from Wheelz Online in Boksburg.

Prior to purchase, he said he conducted an e-Natis, and it revealed no outstanding issues with the car.

“I have an e-Natis printout on the ownership history of the vehicle. At the time of purchase, Ronald Michael Jansen van Vuuren was the owner and director of Wheelz Online. I paid him a deposit of R10 000 to secure the vehicle. I then paid him R412 500, the full purchase price of the vehicle,” said Naidoo.

Following five months of ownership, Naidoo sold the car to Xquisite Auto, a dealership located in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal. The dealership requested the vehicle and its original registration papers, which Naidoo submitted without hesitation. An EFT payment for the full amount was subsequently made to his account.

A month later, in March 2022, Naidoo said the dealership called him and told him that they sold the car and the buyer could not register it because it was listed as a stolen.

“They returned the car, and I then personally handed over the vehicle to the Vereeniging Vehicle Theft Unit. I was then forced to refund Xquisite Auto as they threatened me with legal action,” he said.

Naidoo said he conducted his own investigation and was told that the car was reported stolen by Standard Bank after a client named Khwela bought the car in October 2020 and only made one payment before vanishing.

The aggrieved Naidoo blamed Standard Bank for the mishap and said if the bank had acted sooner, he wouldn’t have fallen victim of the unfortunate situation.

“Had Standard Bank acted promptly and competently, this situation would have been avoided. Again, they knew that the car was not stolen but had a client who was defaulting on payments. Why did they have to wait two years to report the car stolen,” asked the visibly frustrated Naidoo.

Naidoo said he reached out to Standard Bank numerous times, only to be met with indifference. “They have not responded positively to my enquiries and insist that the car belongs to them, without providing any evidence,” he said.

He added that the bank suggested that he buys the car from them and he refused, “why should I purchase my vehicle again,” he asked.

In an effort to get a refund, Naidoo sent a letter of demand to van Vuuren as well as Wheelz Online and his efforts were unsuccessful.

Attempts to engage with the Banking Ombudsman and the Motor Industry Ombudsman have proven fruitless, leaving Naidoo feeling despondent. “I don’t have my money back and I don’t have a car. I’m a pensioner, and I spent my hard-earned money on that car,” he said. “I have lost the car because someone decided to be negligent.”

IOL spoke to van Vuuren, and he confirmed Naidoo’s sale and also indicated that he was no longer part of the business.

According to van Vuuren, they were also not aware that the car was stolen because they also did a clearance check when they bought it.

“I furthermore got a roadworthy certificate on the car and registered in Mr Naidoo’s name all of which would not be possible if the car was stolen or still under finance at the time,” he said.

Van Vuuren claims he bought the car from a man named Francois du Toit.

“We did everything legally when purchasing the car did all the necessary checks and as mentioned if the car was stolen or under finance, we would not be able to obtain a roadworthy police clearance original natis or do registration on Naidoo’s name,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Standard Bank spokesperson, Ross Linstrom, said a fraud case was currently under investigation and clarified that the case was not theft.

Linstrom said the original transaction was conducted under false pretences.

“When the vehicle was sold by the dealership, the bank had been fraudulently removed as the title holder. While the situation is understandably distressing, the bank remains the rightful owner of the vehicle.

“We are sympathetic to the circumstances, but any legal recourse should be directed to the dealership or broker from whom the vehicle was purchased, as the bank was not a part to that transaction,” he said.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

IOL News

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