By: Malani Venter and Katrien Smit, Die Burger

Cape Town – The actions of the creator of a website criticising crime in South Africa were being investigated after the Independent Democrats laid a charged of fraud against Neil Watson, the owner.

Watson’s website became contentious almost immediately, as it painted a negative picture of South Africa. His aim was to discourage tourists from visiting the country.

The website was also accused of being racist because of the sometimes offensive comment appearing on it.

Simon Grindrod, caucus leader of the ID in Cape Town, laid a charge against Watson over the website www.crimexposouthafrica.org (Cesa) at the Caledon Square police station on Thursday.

The Citizen reported that thousands of rands in donations and advertisement sales for the website allegedly ended up in Watson’s pocket.

Watson denied on Thursday that he had acted irresponsibly with the finances of the website. According to him, the website had generated only about R8 000 since its inception on July 7 this year.

The website also didn’t disappear permanently. It would be back on the internet “within five days”, he said.

Gay and Lesbian Alliance alter ego?

Watson also denied that he was Juan Duval Uys of the former Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GLA).

This followed after rumours that Watson was Uys’s alter ego.

“It’s rubbish. This Uys is not a member of Cesa. He was just a volunteer. Why is everybody so concerned with Uys’s involvement with Cesa? There’s nothing wrong with him,” said the indignant Watson.

He later admitted that Uys was involved in the establishment of the website and one of many financiers at the beginning, but “the smear campaign against him started a long time ago”.

Cellphone numbers earlier provided by Uys and Watson turned out to be the same number. This number was also the contact number for the media liaison of the GLA, and David Baxter, spokesperson for the GLA.

Other gay rights groups in the past alleged that the GLA consisted only of Uys and that Baxter was also an alter ego. Watson strongly denied that he had provided the same number to Die Burger.

“I promise and guarantee you that I was never near that number. Never, ever, ever.”

The number was switched off all day on Thursday.

Fraud investigation

According to Grindrod, the ID invited the owner of the website to make himself known and to explain what he had done with the money.

“The website had nearly 74 000 visitors a week for about five months. People sent SMSs of R3 to the website and businesses bought advertising space.”

Grindrod said the ID was from the beginning against any website that damaged South Africa’s image “and also against the principles of this particular website”.

Pieter Boshoff, the owner of the website realsouthafrica.co.za, who earlier this year received several threatening calls from Watson, told Die Burger on Thursday that Watson’s identity was very interesting.

Police spokesperson superintendent Billy Jones confirmed a case of fraud had been opened. The police commercial crime unit was investigating the case.

Source: News24.Com
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/New…/p>