First Heafield Fraud Case Collapses

A fraud case against Duncan Heafield collapsed because of lack of evidence, although the troubled concert promoter is still awaiting trial for allegedly cheating the Krok family out of US$ 4.3 million.

A Rand 750,000 (US$ 120,000) fraud charge against Heafield was withdrawn from Durban Commercial Crimes Court’s list during the second week of May, reportedly on the grounds that there was no evidence to support claims that he’d made that amount out of a Durban company by presenting himself as a director of a company that no longer existed.

In court, Heafield produced documentation that proved that 3CAfrica – the company he was said to have represented after it was de-registered – is still in existence. There was no evidence to support claims that he was not a director of 3CAfrica, that he represented himself as an officer of a deregistered company or that he utilised the credit facilities of a nonexistent company.

Although he’s in the clear in KwaZulu-Natal, Heafield is currently bailed for Rand 150,000 (US$ 20,000) for the Rand 33 million fraud case the Krok family is bringing in Johannesburg.

The Kroks, who have made fortunes from property, pharmaceuticals and the development of Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City, claim they funded the tour Heafield’s Kusasa Entertainment organised for Canadian songstress Celine Dion.

The Dion shows were marred by chaos and, along with a Josh Groban tour that was canceled because Heafield "failed to perform his obligations," led to the bankruptcy of Ticketconnection, which had the exclusive rights to sell the tickets for both.

Ticketconnection MD Lise Kuhle said the company couldn’t handle the credit card charge backs for the canceled shows because Heafield hadn’t returned the box office money that had been forwarded to him.

Johannesburg Coca Cola Dome banned Heafield with a blanket statement that it "will no longer work with unreliable promoters who harm South Africa’s image."