E300 000 STOKVEL MONEY STOLEN

MBABANE - With the festive season almost in full swing, a stokvel group of over 20 women had their hopes of a merry Christmas shattered as they were allegedly robbed of their year-long savings.

The money was allegedly stolen from their treasurer and it amounted to E300 000.
A stokvel is a savings scheme in which members contribute a fixed amount of money to a common pool weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
They would then borrow the money and return it with a minimal interest.

At the end of the saving year, members would then receive a lump sum, and they are free to use the money for any purpose.
Last Monday, the 20 women had to endure the bad news after they were informed that their treasurer, who was in possession of their savings amounting to E300 000, was robbed of the money at gunpoint while at her home in Nkoyoyo.

Intention

According to sources close to the matter, the association was established over 10 years ago, with the intention of savings to curb poverty among the members who are mostly residents of Nkoyoyo.
Their aim was to empower residents of the area to save and then start small businesses upon receiving their dividends.

A member of the stokvel, who only wanted to be identified as Make Dlamini and spoke on behalf of the other women, disclosed that they were supposed to share the dividends later next month. She stated that they were shocked when they were told that the treasurer had been robbed.

Dlamini said they were called by the treasurer who asked that they meet at a convenient place where she informed the women about the alleged robbery. Dlamini said what shocked them was that they were of the view that such news would be relayed in the presence of the police considering the amount of money lost.

According to the women, they were told that the treasurer was robbed at around 10am last Monday while at her place of residence where her vehicle was also taken as a getaway car in the process. Asked who the treasurer was with on the day of the incident, the women said information they received was that she was in the company of her domestic helper and son when the alleged robbery took place. They mentioned that it was unbelievable that they all did not manage to fight the said robbers. 

Apparently, two robbers allegedly stormed the woman’s house, armed with a gun and demanded the money and other valuables.
It is believed one of the robbers was a male and the other was a female.

“She told us that all her valuables were taken including cellphones but she is now using the very same phone she had been using,” alleged Dlamini.
Another woman said they did not believe a single word from the treasurer and they wanted their money. 
“Lamaphoyisa wona amuyekele angasasho nekutsi asikuphekeletele uyobika lenhlanganweni.  Uyile yini vele nje?” asked the woman.  Loosly translated: Did the police just let her leave without considering danger she might be in having to come back on her own to report the incident to us? Did she even go to the police?

Transactions

What remains a mystery to the women is how the treasure kept so much money in her house when they were giving her E20 for bank charges which she said was money needed when making the transactions.

When asked how they were able to make money amounting to over E300 000, they stated that they were contributing between E3 000 to E5 000 per member and they were then supposed to ensure that they lent the money to other people with one member making E10 000 interest.

When the treasurer was called for a comment, she was at first resistant to discuss the matter as she wanted to find out who gave out the information.
“Until you tell me who shared that information with you, I am not going to tell you anything,” she said.
It was until she was asked about the phone that she claimed to have lost but was allegedly using it that she opened up to say the phone was new and she had done a swim swap.

The treasurer, who will not be named as she has not been charge, did not respond to how the money amounting to over E300 000 was kept in the house. She simply said she had told then women that they needed to open a bank account but they did not act on it.
She later agreed to share her side of her story.

In her narration, she alleged the robbers who were carrying guns comprised a male and a female. She alleged they tied both the domestic helper and her son and then demanded her to get the money. It was after they got hold of the money that they allegedly took her car and got away with it. Information later sourced by this reporter was that the car was found at Motshane, a distance of about 2km from the treasurer’s, still in good shape.

When called for comment, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter.
“Police are investigating the matter as it was reported to the police,” she said. She went on to confirm that according to the recorded statement the robbers were armed.

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