Bunch of ****MERS!

I needed a venue for my graduation party planned for May (this was January when i was looking for the venue). I talked to a guy by the name of Karabo who arranged to meet up with me for viewing. On the day of the viewing he literally put pressure on me to put down a deposit as he cannot guarantee venue availability. I insisted i will do EFT at home but he made an impression that the venue may be taken and he cannot promise anything without a deposit. I decided to swipe the R5 000 deposit. There was no mention of any other payment terms, except i need to settle the balance before the event. About 3-4 weeks later i received a WhatsApp text on a Saturday saying i need to pay >50% of the initial balance the following day. I said this is too sudden and I wasn't made aware. I asked for cancellation few days later, only to be told I owe them. This business intentionally force people to pay the deposit to rob innocent clients. The guys i was talking to initially literally disappeared then i was contacted by a Etienne Kuhn and some Heidi person. I asked them to show me where I signed for this nonsensical expectation, a month gone no response.