Game farm buyer goes wild

NOT A CENT OF R8.5M PRICE PAID: COURT ORDERS HIM TO STOP SELLING WILDLIFE, VEHICLES

Purchaser allegedly professed to have big US investments, but owns nothing.

APretoria man who moved to a luxury game farm and allegedly started selling vehicles and game without paying a cent of the R8.5 million purchase price has been interdicted from hunting or selling the game, vehicles and furniture on the farm.

Pretoria businessperson Jan Moller, whose business, Oxford Cleaning and Paper, owns the game farm in Limpopo, applied for an urgent interdict in the High Court in Pretoria this week against Frans Strydom and his company, Auto Game Feeders, after Strydom allegedly reneged on a sales agreement to buy the farm.

Moller had wanted Strydom evicted, but their legal teams reached a settlement giving both parties 48 hours to make a new sales agreement, including strict payment terms, failing which Strydom would vacate voluntarily.

Judge Cynthia Pretorius granted an order interdicting Strydom from selling, hunting, killing or disposing of any of the game and selling two vehicles, six fourwheel motorcycles, a trailer and tractor. He may also not remove, sell or hide any furniture, household items or equipment in the main house and was ordered to return a tractor and a bakkie.

Strydom now has to pay a R2.5 million deposit or the remainder of the purchase price, or the sales agreement will be cancelled.

Moller alleged in court papers that Strydom had told him he owned a farm in Vryburg, two properties in Pretoria, had huge investments in America and would pay cash. He allowed Strydom to move in but became suspicious when Strydom sold a tractor without his permission for half its value, allowed a giraffe to be shot without a permit, registered several vehicles in his name and