TV journalist Devi Govender exposes alleged "dream wedding" scam
An investigation is currently underway into an alleged dream wedding competition scam after numerous brides and workers came forward about the misinformation and empty promises surrounding a popular television show.
On an episode of The Devi Show back in June, journalist and TV presenter Devi Sankaree Govender spoke to three women who fell victim to an alleged wedding competition scam.
Each woman had the exact same story; where they entered a wedding show competition and won a 'dream wedding' to the value of R500,000.
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After being announced as the winners, the women were allegedly told to pay R40,000 to the representatives of the show to see "who is fooling around and who is not".
The Breakfast with Martin Bester team spoke to Devi Sankaree Govender about the situation:
Govender confirmed that many of the show's suppliers haven't received payment and the competition winners had to pay R40,000 for the wedding.
Some weddings did not happen at all and many brides were forced to arrange their own weddings or cancel their weddings.
One of our listeners, Benita, who was one of the victims, also shared her story on Breakfast with Martin Bester:
In a sit-down interview with Govender, Benita confirmed that she had to make a plan to get the money to pay.
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Prudence Moilwa, who heads up enforcement and investigations at the National Consumer Commission (NCC), confirmed that people should not be paying "extraordinary" amounts of money when entering competitions.
"In fact, the minister of trade and industry has set a threshold; R1,50 to participate in competitions," Moilwa said during an interview with Govender.
Govender also confirmed that the wedding competition show should have clearly stated if they were selling a discounted service, but none of their promotions or advertisement stated this.
Although some of the ladies had a wedding, it was far from a dream wedding. All three of the ladies confirmed that the television programme did not meet the promises that were made.
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Old flowers for their bouquets and ill-fitting wedding and bridesmaids' dresses were a common theme.
A supplier for the show alleged that the company recycles flowers, decor, and wedding dresses from wedding to wedding. The supplier, 'Natalie', said she is still battling to get paid for the work she did for the company.
The NCC has encouraged other brides to come forward in order for them to launch a formal investigation.
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