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A 58-year-old man appeared in the Mossel Bay magistrate’s court on Tuesday for allegedly duping victims out of more than R3 million in an apparent housing development scam.
Police said Robert Pace faces 18 counts of fraud and was remanded in custody to 6 August for a formal bail application.
Sergeant Chris Spies said a total of 19 cases were reported to police and these dockets were transferred to the Western Cape Commercial Crime Investigations Unit based in Cape Town for further investigation.
The probe led to Pace's arrest at his Mossel Bay office on Monday.
He said it is alleged that between 2018 and 2024 he had introduced himself as a building contractor or developer, advertising a piece of land earmarked for a housing development in Mossel Bay on social media platforms.
Ten people showed interest and allegedly deposited over R1.7 million to acquire plots.
It later emerged that the property was registered in the name of another party and the building of houses never materialised.
Spies said further investigation into another scheme also revealed that Pace "acted as a qualified builder who entered into agreements with prospective homeowners to build houses on another property".
Nine individuals deposited just over R1. 6 million into his account, and while some construction work commenced on the sites, he disappeared for a while soon thereafter without delivering the houses.
Spies meanwhile said more charges could be brought as the investigation unfolds.
