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FARMERS BANK TO OPEN IN ‘GHOST TOWN’

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MBABANE – The town has no public transport operating in it and reaching there by car is a nightmarish 18 kilometre drive on a meandering dirt road.
Almost all of the town’s residents do not have cars and they rely on the privileged, few whites who live in the area, for lifts to the nearest bigger town of Pigg’s Peak where they have to travel to daily for most of their needs.


The fact that there is no petrol station in the town demonstrates the scarcity of transport.
The residents of this once-vibrant town of Bulembu have to spend an average of two hours waiting at the bus stop, hoping a good Samaritan will drive by and offer them a lift, at a E20 charge most of the time, either to or from Pigg’s Peak.

sleepy settlement


It is in this town that a newly-renovated building stands out from the other structures of colonial times that characterise this sleepy settlement.
The building stands between a shop that looks to be the only retail outlet in this tiny central business district and ruins of a building that has evidently been brought down recently.


A lady is cleaning the verandah of the shop and as soon as I disembark from the car I am traveling in with Times of Swaziland longest-serving driver Patrick Mbuli, I approach the lady.
She goes inside the shop and behind the counter expecting that I was a customer and, even though I had not thought of buying anything, I order a bottle of mineral water.


She gives me a cold one and it’s branded Bulembu Ministries, which owns the town and one of its directors is the Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg.  Patrick goes for a rocky bun – he tells me he is hungry as he has not had breakfast.
“So, what is this structure that has been built next to the shop,” I ask the lady as she looks for change after having handed her a E50 note.
“That’s a bank,” she responds with little enthusiasm. “The owners often come here and get busy inside as they are still setting up,” she says after I ask her who it belongs to.


She then indicates that she has little information regarding the bank.
The reason I am in the town of Bulembu is to see this building for myself after being told that it is where the Kingdom of Eswatini’s newly-licensed commercial bank – Farmers Bank – will be headquartered.


Having spoken to the shopkeeper, I moved closer to the building for a clearer look and its doors show that high security has been prioritised.
I then peep through its windows and yes, the setting of a bank is confirmed; about six teller cubicles with pigeon holes and chairs lined up in the waiting area are in place.   

VIRTUALLY NO ACTIVITY


But what is a bank doing in the sleepy town with virtually no activity to attract banking business?
The bank is situated almost two kilometres or a two minute drive away from the Bulembu border post with South Africa.
This border post is probably among the quietest in the country. Police officers were found sitting in the shade, lazing about over small talk.

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