MBABANE – “We were told to tell customers their money would come, even when it had not been paid.”
This is the shocking disclosure contained in affidavits filed at the High Court, where employees of Xwin (Pty) Ltd have detailed how they were allegedly used by foreign nationals in an illegal online gambling operation that is now the subject of a major criminal investigation. The affidavits form part of an ex parte application by the director of public prosecutions seeking preservation orders over bank accounts, cash, luxury vehicles and other assets suspected to be linked to the alleged fraud scheme.
Employee Zimbili Mweli told the court that she was recruited through a Facebook advertisement and employed as a customer service agent. She stated that her duties involved communicating with customers through live chat systems and Telegram groups, where she was required to follow strict scripted responses. Mweli said employees were instructed to reassure customers that deposits and withdrawals were being processed even when there was no confirmation of payment.
She further revealed that workers were told to use phrases such as ‘the date is too long for verification’ to dismiss delayed claims, effectively blocking customers from receiving refunds. She stated that all financial decisions were handled by a ‘finance group’ based outside Eswatini, and employees had no access to verify whether customers were ultimately paid.
Another employee, Seluleko Masuku, who worked in the 24K Department, confirmed that he handled deposits and withdrawals and was trained to use standard responses such as ‘received,’ ‘not received,’ and ‘pending,’ depending on system instructions.
Masuku said customers frequently deposited large amounts of money but received very small or no returns. He added that over time he began to suspect that the operation was not legitimate, particularly due to repeated discrepancies between customer complaints and internal system responses.
Ingisi Dvuba, an accountant at the company, told investigators that he was responsible for maintaining financial and tax records, as well as processing salaries for more than 100 employees, most of whom were Swati nationals.Dvuba stated that payments were processed weekly through banking systems linked to Standard Bank and compliance systems under the Eswatini Revenue Service. However, he said he had no visibility over the broader international flow of funds linked to the gambling platforms.
Human Resources officer Nofanele Dlamini Motsa confirmed that she was responsible for recruitment, contracts and payroll administration. She stated that on March 24, 2026, police officers arrived at the workplace, searched systems and discovered foreign nationals working within the company structure, some of whom were not captured in official payroll records.
Supervisor Veliswa Tsabedze told investigators that she worked in online customer support for gambling platforms including 8Game, HU777 and EZ777. She said employees were grouped according to platforms and assisted customers mainly with login issues, deposits and withdrawals. Tsabedze stated that issues raised by customers were escalated to team leaders through internal systems, while financial matters were referred to external Telegram groups for resolution.
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Some of the arrested foreign nationals leaving the Mbabane Magistrates Court after a previous court appearance. (File pic)