While still grieving their beloved father, a Strandfontein family say they were shocked when a local businessman rocked up to claim their dad’s “R500 000 car”, apparently in lieu of a loan repayment.
Amy Arrison said her dad Daniel died in October last year, and shortly afterwards, they were told that he had borrowed R30 000 from local shop owner Christopher “Whitey” Barendse.
However, she questions the validity of the loan.
“My father worked as a policeman for 38 years and two years ago, he retired and took the package,” she explains.
“From the money he got, he paid off all his debts, paid up the house, bought furniture and a new car, so why would he borrow money?
“Sometimes he would buy on the boekie, yes, but almost everybody here does it by the shop and he would always pay it back.”
Amy, 30, says they only heard about the loan when a man came to their home wanting the car, a Haval H2 SUV.
“He came here on December 21 in a car with an old lady sitting in front and he did not say his name, he just said he is from the sheriff’s office but he did not show a badge or any paperwork,” she says.
“He told us that he must take my dad’s car to pay the money back, but how can you take a car worth R500 000 for a R30 000, plus there is no proof of this loan.”
She says he returned on January 20 and finally gave them a letter which they took to Mitchells Plain court on Monday.
“The lady at the court took one look at the letter and said that it was invalid because my father’s name was wrong, the dates were wrong and she had no knowledge of this letter ever leaving their offices.”
The Daily Voice visited the shop in Bowsprit Avenue on two occasions, but both times Barendse’s son Dominique denied us entry.
He called the Arrison family’s claims “pure nonsense”.
“We are pillars of this community and we tried to help them,” was all he would say without going into details.
Sheriff Rashied Cader, who serves the Strandfontein community, said his office was not aware of a summons being served on the Arrison family.