The recent allegations concerning Shahied Davids, allegedly the latest travel agent scammer, (dubbed the ‘Umrah Swindler’), have prompted calls from the travel industry for the government to intervene and start accrediting travel agencies, and blacklisting scammers, reports News24.
As per the Consumer Protection Act, the Department of Tourism has encouraged complainants to refer their complaints to the Department and law enforcement agencies to open criminal cases.
The latest scam has resulted in the National Freedom Party (NFP) demanding that action be taken to establish regulations to accredit Hajj travel agents and agencies in collaboration with the South African Hajj and Umrah Council, legal experts and Parliament.
NFP leader, Manzoor Sheik Emam, praised the quick arrest of Davids and called for preventative collaborative measures to deter such crimes from happening in the future.
“We can implement restrictions to ensure a right of recourse. Portfolio committees (in Parliament) can make sure such companies are blacklisted,” Emam told News24.
Euan McNeil, MD of Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa, said the industry lacked criteria for the creation and registration of travel agents and agencies, and required more policies to protect the victims of travel scams and fraud.
“At the moment, anyone can set up as a travel agency; there are no requirements before you start, which I think is a big contributor to scams. With a bit more structure and regulation around the industry, it would help protect consumers and create more consistency in avoiding these instances.”
However, McNeil said the industry was encouraging travel agents and agencies to register with Asata to ensure some form of accreditation and adherence to a code of conduct that would be a reassurance to consumers. Asata currently represents 99% of the travel industry by market share in Southern Africa.
The ‘Umrah Swindler’ cases
On December 27, over 30 Muslim people from Cape Town who intended to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the sacred pilgrimage of Umrah were stranded at the airport after finding out their flight bookings were cancelled, reported EWN.
Victims opened criminal cases against Davids for theft under false pretences, reporting that they had lost an average of R35 000 each. The NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit investigated the accusations, culminating in his arrest as he arrived at Cape Town airport from Doha on January 14.
But the arrest came only after he was met by angry pilgrims who had come to confront him about their cancelled flights and lost money. In a video published by IOL that went viral, police had to intervene as a large and angry crowd grew agitated, and the alleged swindler was pushed and shoved.
SAPS issued a statement that Davids had been arrested at the airport and detained at Pollsmoor Prison for his safety and to prevent him from destroying evidence and intimidating witnesses.
According to The Voice of the Cape, on January 17, he was charged with two counts of fraud at the Wynberg Magistrates Court. The investigating officer noted that an additional 20 cases with the same modus operandi were being prepared for the court.
Following complainants’ calls for bail to be denied, the bail hearing was postponed from January 19 to a tentative January 26.
