Pay back the funny: Comedian in R18k car deal rip-off
‘FELL ON HARD TIMES’: Salveno Brawood from Rondevlei
A Mandalay man says it was no laughing matter when he was scammed by a comedian.
Rishando Davids claims Salveno Brawood stole R18 000 from him.
He discovered this when he saw the comic had bought a washing machine for his wife on Facebook last week.
Rishando says he met Salveno via Facebook last year when he wanted to buy his VW Golf.
However Salveno didn’t want to sell his car but said he could find him a similar one.
“I went to the bank and made a loan when I just found out that my girlfriend was pregnant,” explains Rishando.
“I got R20 000 but gave him R18 000 to buy me a car. The idea was for him to buy me a Golf MK1 before my girlfriend gave birth, for convenience.
“That was last February, up until now, I still don’t have a car.
“And he still had the audacity to buy a washing machine for his wife when my girlfriend is using her hands for our washing. That made me mad.”
Rishando says he trusted Salveno because he is a well-known influencer and comedian.
“I sent him money via EFT and we chatted via WhatsApp but then he changed his number.
“I tried to contact him several times. I went to the small claims court because the police couldn’t open a case for me.
“He then came to me and promised to pay me last September, so I stopped the court proceedings.”
He says it’s been more than five months and Salveno has still not paid back the money and he got so gatvol that he outed him on the Name, Shame & EM Cape Town Facebook page.
“I will go back to the court process now because he is taking too long to pay me. I have no hope that he will pay me.”
Meanwhile, Salveno, from Rondevlei, took to his own page on Wednesday to explain that he had fallen on hard times.
“By now you’ve all read and heard some shocking stuff about me, I'm not here to deny anything,” he wrote.
“I made some loans to pay other loans and it turned into a never-ending cycle causing me to drown in debt.
“I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me of all people. I’m usually the guy people run to for help.
“It has gotten so bad that I almost took the easy way out, but I ain’t no coward. Problems are temporary, death is permanent. Issan lekke om te lewe. #NoCap
“To those that I owe, I promise to pay you back in full. I just need to get back on my feet again. A conman I am not!”
Salveno, who apparently doesn’t have a cellphone, said he was deactivating his Facebook profile, and could not be reached.