FNB WORKER ACCUSED OF DIVERTING E68 000 TO DAUGHTER’S ACCOUNT

MBABANE – First National Bank (FNB) has obtained an order preserving a sum of E68 570.60 in the account of its employee who resigned while being investigated for fraud.

The interim order was issued by High Court Judge John Magagula yesterday and the matter returns to court next Wednesday.
Simon Shongwe is alleged to have unlawfully diverted funds intended for credit commission accounts to his personal accounts. He also allegedly diverted some of the funds to the account of his daughter. The money amounted to E68 570.60.

The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. Shongwe is yet to file responding papers. FNB is represented by Banele Gamedze of Musa M. Sibandze Attorneys.

Shongwe was employed as a Day One Team Member at the Operations Processing Centre (OPC) in Matsapha. The Head of Human Resources at FNB, Linda Khumalo, told the court that Shongwe tendered his resignation before the commencement of his disciplinary hearing.

According to Khumalo, Shongwe was suspended with full pay on November 28, 2017 pending finalisation of investigations by the bank into the alleged theft/fraud and or dishonesty.

He was invited to appear in a disciplinary hearing in December last year at the head office in Mbabane. Khumalo submitted that Shongwe requested a postponement of the hearing since he was due to appear in court because the matter had also been reported to the police.

According to Khumalo, before the hearing could commence on December 18, 2017, Shongwe resigned from work. He was facing charges of fraud, dishonesty and theft.
As an employee and Day One Team Member, Shongwe, as submitted by Khumalo, at all material times had a duty of care to ensure that his conduct did not result in pecuniary loss to the bank.

“It is submitted that the respondent (Shongwe) breached his duty of care in that he intentionally diverted funds meant to benefit his then employer to his daughter’s advantage and thus, causing financial prejudice to the applicant,” the head of HR submitted.
Khumalo further submitted that it had come to the attention of the bank that Shongwe had been paid his terminal benefits amounting to E153 966.77.

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