Psychic must repay R5m

HIGH COURT: EXTORTED MONEY, CLAIMING CONNECTION WITH THE DEAD

She threatened to expose intimate details of a client who lost her mom.

Apsychic who blackmailed vulnerable clients in Greytown while claiming to be in touch with their departed loved ones, has been ordered by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg to pay them back more than R5 million.

During the course of her work with Kajal Aheer and her father Vinesh Gokul Aheer, self-proclaimed psychic Deborah Govender threatened to make public intimate details about Kajal’s life, and even extorted money to buy herself a flashy car.

She also went behind Kajal’s back to buy a beauty salon which Kajal had intended to purchase, and then took her on as a paying tenant.

The ordeal started when Kajal and Vinesh were mourning the death of their mother and wife, who died of a heart attack in July 2015.

Battling to cope with the loss and desperate for closure, Kajal engaged the services of Govender, who described herself as a psychic in an advertisement on Gumtree in 2017.

Govender claimed to be able to connect with the dead and said she would connect and communicate with Kajal’s mother.

Kajal and Vinesh paid money to Govender, who told them that, through her supernatural powers, she had established that their loved one was very happy and that she was in contact with her.

To connect with the dead, Govender said she had prayed to a deity, but never in Kajal’s presence, the court heard before delivering judgment last Thursday.

Govender started blackmailing Kajal in 2017, claiming that several people wanted to harm her. She then offered Kajal a solution and assured her that she would stop people from harming her by putting a spell on them.

She then demanded money for protection.

At some stage, the court heard that Govender went behind Kajal’s back and bought a beauty salon – La Vida Spa – which Kajal had intended on purchasing while operating at the premises as a beauty therapist.

After the purchase, Kajal became Govender’s tenant and paid her a monthly rent.

Govender also demanded that Kajal buy her a Ford Mustang and continued to demand more money, threatening to expose intimate details about her life.

The court papers stated that Govender phoned Vinesh and advised him that his daughter owed her R540 000 and that he had to settle the debt.

She threatened to take legal action if payment was not made.

To avoid his daughter getting blacklisted, Vinesh ended up paying Govender the R540 000 in instalments.

Meanwhile, Kajal also borrowed money from her brother with the aim of silencing Govender, and even lied to her father about needing money in order to make payments for the beauty salon, the court heard.

Later, she confessed everything to her brother, who then sought legal advice. A protection order was then obtained against Govender.

Clinical psychologist Clive Willows testified that Kajal had been under duress during their relations because Govender posed a threat to her safety.

The court ruled that Govender must pay Kajal R4 992 778.61 and Vinesh R540 000 – with costs.

Psychic claimed people wanted to harm client