Bogus pastor takes caterer for a ride
Catering company R10 000 poorer after dealings with 'man of the cloth'.
The good-heartedness of Freddie Ehrke, a caterer and self-confessed Christian, might have cost him R10 000 after doing a function for a man who claims to be a pastor.
About a week ago ‘Pastor’ Gift Phillips contacted Ehrke’s Omega Events and Catering and placed an order for food to the value of R4 000. Although Ehrke has strict policies regarding payment he nonetheless accepted a cash cheque on delivery thinking there should not be problems because he is dealing with a man of the cloth. When Ehrke went to cash the cheque though he found that the bank account was dormant.
When he phoned and confronted ‘Phillips’ (who allegedly admitted to him afterwards that it was not his real name and that he was not a pastor) he was met with arrogance, says Ehrke. ‘Phillips’ then asked Ehrke how much he was willing to pay to get his equipment (dishes, hot trays etc) back.The equipment Ehrke delivered the food in is to the value of approximately R6 500.
“I was taken aback because instead of paying me, the man now wanted to sell me my own equipment,” says a flabbergasted Ehrke.
Owing to the incident taking place in Claremont, Roodepoort Police Station advised Ehrke to open a case at Sophiatown Police Station. According to Ehrke the officer at Sophiatown reacted by saying, “Don’t tell us its Pastor Gift”, after which she explained that the ‘Pastor’ has ripped off caterers from as far as Potchefstroom and Pretoria, and that they have been looking for him for a while. Ehrke says Phillips admitted to him over the phone that the police has been looking for him but he told Ehrke that he was “too clever for them” and that they would not catch him.
Over and above opening a case Ehrke also had to put in a claim for his equipment with his insurance company.
The record contacted Phillips for comment. When answering the phone and asked whether he was Phillps, he sounded uncertain. Phillips was unresponsive when told what the call was about. At the end of the call, when asked whether the story was a lie he answered ‘yes’ and said that he did not want to comment further. He also denied having Ehrke’s equipment.
“I just want other businesses and especially caterers to beware of this man and not to bend the rules because they might think it is for a good cause,” says Ehrke.
