Times Of Swaziland: ABOUT E1M STOLEN AT EPTC, COMPANY LAUNCHES PROBE

ABOUT E1M STOLEN AT EPTC, COMPANY LAUNCHES PROBE
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Mbongiseni Ndzimandze on 24/05/2022 15:15:00


MBABANE – Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) has
instituted internal investigations, following the theft of close to E1 million
from the institution.
It is suspected that the money was stolen over the past years without anyone
detecting it until recently, which resulted in the corporation launching a
full-scale investigation into the matter.
Though the actual amount that has been stolen could not be verified at the time
of compiling this report, sources confirmed that it amounted to close to a
million and was stolen in small amounts.
Division
Those who are said to have information regarding the matter claim that some
employees of EswatiniPost, which is the postal division of EPTC, were the ones
who were helping management get to the bottom of the matter as it was alleged
that the money disappeared from these outlets. The money, which was meant for
operations, was reportedly stolen from some of the 34 EswatiniPost outlets.
According to a source close to the matter, the theft of the money started a long
time ago. The source said investigations started after the management discovered
that money which was meant for operations in some of the outlets was not
accounted for. He disclosed that each outlet had money for operations, but it
transpired that over the years, the money was stolen or unaccounted for. “This
has been going on for a long time, the investigations will surely reveal more
rot and many employees might find themselves suspended or even arrested,
depending on what will be unearthed by the investigations,” said the insider.
According to the insider, the theft of the money had been going unnoticed for a
number of years. The investigations were instituted recently. The source alleged
that there was laxity in the monitoring of the funds that were being kept by the
outlets, hence some of the workers took advantage of this and stole the money.
The insider further mentioned that last Friday, an employee who allegedly stole
a sum of E20 000 from the company, was placed on precautionary suspension while
investigations were ongoing. When sought for comment, EPTC Manager-Corporate
Affairs, Nqobile Magagula, declined to comment on the matter.
This reporter also wanted to establish if the company had or would solicit the
assistance of the police in the matter, as it boarded on theft. The posts
division offers modern mail service for letters, packages or other postal
documents including post boxes, customs clearance, transport insurance or
worldwide from person-to-person, through all domestic post offices and also to
neighbouring countries like South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana. It also provides
agency services on behalf of other companies. Agency services are provided
throughout the postal network.
Contracts
The post offices sell contracts and receive payments for companies such as
Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC),
Eswatini Television Authority (ETVA) and EswatiniTelecom. There are also
internet cafés with access to high-speed internet in all communication centres
and selected post offices. Meanwhile, in 2020, five men, including an employee
of EPTC, were arrested in connection with the theft of E16 million from the
company. Romeo Mark Fernandez (20) of Mahwalala under Chief Zembe and Sinethemba
Mkhosiwenkhosi Simelane (21) of Checkers under Chief Mabonya, both told the
court that they were not involved in the theft of the money. They were arrested
with EPTC IT Technician Sanele Bongi Sibandze (43) of Lavumisa under Chief
GasawaNgwane and Majuba Sylvester Stewart (46) of Mbutfu under Chief Siphike.
The quartet was arrested following an investigation into the theft of the money
at EPTC, which took about seven months. They were charged with four counts of
theft and the offences are alleged to have been committed in August 2019.
Arrested
When Sibandze was arrested, investigators reportedly found many routers and
electronic gadgets which were seized as exhibits. A router is a hardware device
designed to receive, analyse and move incoming packets to another network. It
may also be used to convert packets to another network interface, drop them, and
perform other actions relating to a network. According to the charge sheet, the
largest amount, E14 870 000, was allegedly transferred by Sibandze alone. Other
amounts which were stolen from EPTC in August 2019 were E875 000, E850 000 and
E185 000. The money was allegedly stolen from the company’s bank account. The
stolen amounts were allegedly unlawfully transferred from the bank account held
at Nedbank Eswatini.