I am a 70-year-old male and, on Tuesday afternoon, my domestic worker, who was busy doing the ironing in the sitting room, called me and said there was someone outside in the street who wanted to talk to me.
When I went out, a man said he was selling a service to get rid of ants, and that school children in Soweto benefit from any sales he makes.
I asked him how much this would cost and, at this stage, three other men joined him and took over the conversation.
They said it would cost R70.
I thought this was a very good price and agreed that they could do the work for me.
They did the pavement area of my house, and then came inside my property and did the front garden.
When they had finished, they said they had used 64 litres of the anti-ant chemical and, at R70 per litre, I owed them R4480.
I was completely dumbfounded.
When I said this was not what we agreed to they became aggressive and demanded that I pay them.
I ordered them to leave my property but they refused.
I phoned the police, but they still refused to get off my property and were becoming increasingly aggressive, demanding at least some money to cover their petrol costs.
As I did not know when the police would arrive, my wife phoned my son and told him what was happening.
He arrived within five minutes, but still the men refused to leave my property and started getting aggressive towards him.
Only when my son said he was going to fetch the police from the Brakpan Police Station did the men leave my property.
The story does not end here, but the reason for me writing this letter is to warn fellow residents not to be fooled by people who are selling from the street, and under no circumstances allow them onto your property.
Needless to say the areas they sprayed are still infested with ants.
