Devi Sankaree Govender follows up after 'Droom Troue' saga
Investigative journalist and South African icon Devi Sankaree Govender spoke to Breakfast with Martin Bester about her top stories of 2022.
On Tuesday, 6 December 2022, investigative journalist Devi Sankaree Govender joined Breakfast with Martin Bester live in studio.
Govender shared her top investigative stories of 2022.
1. DR CINO SHEARER
He calls himself “Dr Cino Shearer, clinical psychologist.”
Dubbed by the media as a “therapist to the stars”, at just 39, Dr Shearer has two master’s degrees and a doctorate. But, that’s not all; he dabbles in auctioned properties, he’s chaired board meetings for one of South Africa’s biggest banks, he’s been awarded a humanitarian award from a prestigious foundation and was appointed to their board, and he’s authored two books.
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In between it all, he runs his own NGO, feeding the hungry and providing free counselling to distressed members of the LGBTQI community. Sounds too good to be true? What the Devi Show found, stunned them and apparently him.
CINO SHEARER II FEB
In a Devi Show expose in October, they uncovered the deceit of one man who declared himself a qualified clinical psychologist, freely giving media interviews and counselling. We unpeeled the layers of his life and discovered an entire existence based on deception.2. PC LINK
Let’s face it, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need the latest gadgets, which is why, even during lockdown, online computer and tech stores did well. But, one online retail outlet, PC Link Computers, seems to have dunked themselves in hot water.
Following a steady stream of complaints, the Devi Show picked up the trail and discovered a ton of gripes ranging from non-delivery, constant shifting of timelines, and broken promises.
3. WAYNE ELLIS - THE COACHING CON
For almost two decades, Wayne Ellis pitched himself as a successful motivational speaker and business coach. He sold dreams of booming businesses and personal triumph.
But the reality seems a far cry from the promises according to his victims and former staff who insist that Wayne is a con artist who repeatedly took money from companies which failed.
The Devi Show went undercover to reveal a smooth sales pitch and big promises - and then challenged him on his questionable modus operandi.
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4. TAVI NAIDOO
Renovations to your home is a stressful process. So is finding the right contractor to get the job done. In Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, an entrepreneur has been paving his way from one scam to another, right in his own backyard.
Tavi Naidoo has a long list of unhappy clients. Some don’t even have a single brick to show for their large deposits. And, after evading Devi for a while, she finally confronted Mr Naidoo about his disappointing track record.
5. DROOM TROUE
It all started as a wedding competition on television, promising brides fairytale nuptials. But then, strange tales of dream weddings turning into nightmares started to emerge.
Upset brides were having to pay in for their special days, suppliers were claiming that they weren’t paid, and the topping on the cake? The promised episodes weren’t broadcast, leaving the show's sponsors livid.
The Devi Show lifts the veil and discovers that even the very basis of the “competition” is in contravention of several provisions of the Consumer Protection Act. They set up a sting for the producer, Lana de Jager.
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DROOMTROUE 2 (SEPT 2022)
Since their exposé on Droom Troue, a wedding television show, aired in June, dozens of couples, suppliers, and even former employees have added their voices to this sorry saga, making it clear that there was a lot more to producer Lana de Jager than Devi had originally imagined.
In this follow-up, they discover that it wasn’t just bridal couples who were left traumatised, it seems Lana wreaked just as much havoc with a so-called bursary scheme and we were there to capture the drama when Lana cancelled on a bridal couple the day before their wedding - and blamed the Devi Show for her no-show!
Watch more here:
Govender also shared more about the upcoming Devi Show original documentary, 'In Our Hands'.
As the December ANC National Elective Conference looms, the Devi Show retraces the history of the ruling party. They go back, nearly 30 years, to the promises made ahead of the historic 1994 elections – pledges of equality, houses, and a better life for all.
Now, nearly three decades later, Devi takes stock of where we find ourselves as a country. Thought leaders, political analysts, economists, politicians, and social activists all weigh in on the treacherous path we find ourselves on and the defining role corruption has played.
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The burning question? How do we, as a nation, change this trajectory and build the kind of country we all want to live in - the kind of country we want to leave to our children?
Watch 'Devi' Wednesday, 30th November 2022 on eNCA at 20:00.
Tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', weekdays from 06:00 - 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.