Church the victim of an alleged scammer

According to the minister of the Methodist Church in Carletonville, Reverend David Rose, the concrete wall between the church and its neighbour started collapsing at the beginning of the year. The church obtained three quotes from businesses that could repair the wall. The quote from one was about half of those of the others.
“The owner said he would only charge us for material as we are a church; he would do the work for free,” says Rose.
The church decided to accept what seemed like an excellent offer from a do-gooder and paid the R5,200 for the material into the man’s account upfront in late January.
That was where their big problems started, however.
“At first, he said the slabs were damaged in transit, then, “Sorry, I just cannot make it next week,” and then, “I think I should pay your money back,” laments Rose.
Despite all these promises, the contractor has never returned to the church or paid their much-needed money back.
The situation forced them to open a criminal case against the man with the police in Carletonville in April. So far, the police are busy with investigations, while the church still does not have a wall, and the culprit is still out and about.
A quick Internet search shows many complaints against the contractor, and the church has now even gone as far as putting up a banner warning other potential customers in its garden on Bornite Street.
According to Rose, the money the church lost could have been used for its various feeding schemes, which include a soup kitchen that has been running for decades. The assembly also regularly provides food parcels to needy people in places like Eureka Park.