He’ll be fleeing to the mountain when they come...

Thabazimbi – Clayton Barnard and his fiancé Charmaine Holtzhausen woke up at 03:00 on Sunday 15 August ready to embark on a new chapter in their lives.

With everything they owned, packed on the back of the furniture removal truck, they were ready to hit the road and travel the 560km from Boshof in the Free State to Thabazimbi. Tired but excited they finally arrived in Thabazimbi – just to find other people living in the house they were supposed to call home.

“We are busy buying a piece of land just outside Thabazimbi and I got a job here, so we made the decision to move here,” Clayton said in an interview with Platinum Bushvelder.

They heard that finding a home in Thabazimbi could prove difficult, so they placed a post on Facebook to find out if there are any homes to rent in Thabazimbi. A man by the name of Leon Brodrick contacted them and said that he had a house in Van Der Bijl street for them. He sent them photos and videos of the house, so they didn’t suspect any foul play and paid over half of the deposit.

They were in constant correspondence with Leon, but just to make sure everything is in order with the deal, they asked friends that live in the area to go and have a look. They were told that there were still people living in the house. Leon told them that they were busy moving out.

Clayton added: “We phoned Leon at around 08:00 and he said that the people currently living in the house were busy loading the last few things.” 

They finally arrived in Thabazimbi late that afternoon. Leon graciously greeted them at the gate and asked them to wait a few minutes, that he just wanted to find out how long the previous tenants are going to take. He walked around the house and was busy on his phone.

The ‘previous tenants’ then suspected something was wrong and came outside to see what was going on and why the young couple, furniture removal truck and all, are standing outside their house.

“A bit confused we explained that we were moving in... it was at that moment that the reality hit me like a ton of bricks – we have been scammed,” Clayton said.

At that moment, Leon jumped the fence at the back of the house and fled to the mountain. Shocked and in disbelief they were standing in front of the house with the furniture removal truck, their pets, and nowhere to go.

Luckily a police vehicle drove past and the couple managed to flag him down. The search for Leon, who fled into the mountains began. In the meantime, they still had to find a place where they and their pets could stay and a place to store their belongings.

Charmain sent out a cry for help on Facebook – and the true spirit of the Thabazimbi community, who welcomed them with open arms came to the fore. They soon found a temporary place to stay but are still looking for a permanent home. 

“We would like to extend our gratitude to the community who came to our aid. The Community Policing Forum helped us to get all the necessary documents and assisted us in opening a case against Leon at the police station.

We are excited to be part of this community with a such a big heart and even though we haven’t received the welcome we expected, we look forward to calling Thabazimbi home.”

Police spokesperson Titus Khumalo confirmed that Brodrick was arrested and that he appeared before the Thabazimbi Magistrates’ Court on 19 August where the matter was postponed to 30 August. 

#FosteringASenseOfCommunity