Times Of Swaziland: SBS STAFF, FAMILY SHATTERED BY NHLEKO’S DEATH SBS STAFF, FAMILY SHATTERED BY NHLEKO’S DEATH ================================================================================ BY SABELO MAJOLA on 30/06/2020 00:30:00 MBABANE – Swaziland Building Society (SBS) staff members have been left shocked and gloomy following the news of the passing on of the Managing Director, Timothy Nhleko. Nhleko passed away on Sunday morning while undergoing treatment and sources within the financial institution confirmed that the executive banker had tested positive for COVID-19 over a week ago. Some interviewed staff members said they were hoping Nhleko would pull through and return to work. “Of course it’s shocking, we didn’t expect such to happen. Our thoughts are with the family at this point,” said an employee. The sad news of his passing was relayed to the employees on the same day of his demise, as revealed by SBS Marketing Manager Veli Dlamini. Shocked “Staff was informed yesterday (Sunday) through a statement issued by our chairman. We are still shocked, it is still fresh thus further announcement of who will be the acting MD will be officially announced in due course,” he said. Efforts to get a comment from the family on the passing of Nhleko were near impossible as this reporter was not attended to when he went to the deceased’s home in Fonteyn yesterday. However, when reached for comment through a phone call, Nhleko’s son, Buhle, declined to comment, but instead referred all questions to his sister. Nhleko’s daughter, who identified herself as Lenhle and further revealed that she was the oldest of the deceased’s children, said she was not ready to speak about her father’s demise except to say that they were shocked as a family and pleaded for privacy as they were grieving. “As much as I’m the oldest who is better positioned to give a comment, but I’m not allowed to comment on anything concerning the death of my father except to say we are broken,” she said briefly. Lenhle said as the deceased’s children, they were still trying to arrange for his funeral and he (Nhleko) was all that they had. When quizzed about the death of her father being related to COVID-19, especially by people on social media, Lenhle said she didn’t want to comment on that either. “People will always talk and there is nothing we can do about that,” she said. The news of Nhleko’s death was confirmed by SBS Chairperson of the Board of Directors Kenneth Mbuli, through a statement on Sunday. Mbuli said Nhleko succumbed to a short illness. He said they were deeply shocked and saddened at this terrible news as they had lost a visionary and creative genius and the country as a whole had lost an amazing human being. Also contained in a separate statement released by the bank was that eight employees at SBS had tested positive for COVID-19 and these were all employees who were stationed at the headquarters in Mbabane.