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Potholes on road to wealth as aspirant trucking entrepreneur buys fake vehicle

WHEELER DEALER: Thabo points to the unreliable and joined truck his sister Sini Pooe bought from Wall Street Projects. Pic. Antonio Muchave. © Sowetan.
WHEELER DEALER: Thabo points to the unreliable and joined truck his sister Sini Pooe bought from Wall Street Projects. Pic. Antonio Muchave. © Sowetan.

A Roman philosopher once said: "It is a sign of a weak mind to be unable to bear wealth."

A Roman philosopher once said: "It is a sign of a weak mind to be unable to bear wealth."

Sini Pooe did not want to be seen to be of weak mind when she decided to start a trucking business and get rich.

She bought a truck from Wall Street Project in October.

Before losing her nest egg, Pooe attended a presentation by the company in 2005 for which she paid a non-refundable membership fee of R20000.

The company promised aspirant entrepreneurs a truck and delivery contract, said Pooe.

She said they presented a brilliant profile of their company and people attested to their success.

Pooe saw the road to wealth and did not want to be left out.

"I was so motivated - to the extent that I paid all my debts and saved money to buy a truck."

In October, Pooe of Protea Glen in Soweto withdrew R110000 she had saved and paid it to Wall Street Project for a four-ton truck.

Lawrence Keylock, of the company which is based in Florida on the West Rand, delivered the truck, which he presented as the four-tonner she wanted.

A dejected Pooe said she later discovered that it had been elongated to resemble a four tonner.

"Lawrence did not tell me the truck was cut and joined and was not a four-tonner," Pooe said.

Her brother could not even accomplish his first assignment with the truck, delivering soft drinks from a local company to Upington, said Pooe.

"My brother was spotted by a concerned road user who saw how the truck wobbled on the road and stopped him."

Her brother returned the drinks to the supplier and the truck to Wall Street Project.

Keylock referred Pooe's brother to the company's mechanic in Witbank, said Pooe.

"I felt betrayed when their mechanic told my brother that the truck was unroadworthy, and had been cut and joined," said Pooe.

Wall Street Project now has the truck and has ignored letters of demand from Pooe's attorney.

Keylock acknowledged that there was a problem with the truck and has undertaken to repay Pooe in monthly instalments, starting at the end of this month.

A spokesman for the police's commercial crime unit said they have received complaints and cracked a number of similar scams in the trucking business and would investigate Wall Street Project when Pooe laid a charge.

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