Times Of Swaziland: MINISTER ACCUSES HIS EMPLOYEES OF THEFT, LOCKS THEM OUT

MINISTER ACCUSES HIS EMPLOYEES OF THEFT, LOCKS THEM OUT
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Gcinile Phungwayo on 10/01/2025 09:06:00


MBABANE – Minister Bongani Nzima, on Wednesday locked out two of his Mobile
Money employees from his rental flats over E13 000 that was missing from the
business.
The minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs alleged that the employees,
Xolile Dlamini and Bongiwe Dlamini, were responsible for the disappearance of
the money. The rental flats the employees were locked out of are situated at
Mathendele. When they were locked out, Bongiwe’s medication was left in the
flat and the minister is alleged to have told her brother, when he pleaded with
him to allow them back to their flats, that there are many tablets in hospitals.
Sufficient
The minister, who allegedly owns the flats, went to the employees to collect
rent money when they informed him that the money from the business was not
sufficient. The employees reportedly requested time to find alternative means to
repay the outstanding balance. When questioned about the missing E13 000, the
employees revealed that they had noticed small discrepancies of E50 to E100 in
their daily balances, which they could not account for. They attributed this to
difficulties in reconciling their accounts due to MTN’s recent discontinuation
of Mobile Money logbooks. “What is also painful is that we did not even
attempt to run away from him, but asked him about other means to repay the
missing money and he is now locking us out, yet we have also paid our January
rent,” they said.
“He also locked us out without even a court order. He also never reported us
to the police; he only engaged on his need for his money,” they said.
Furthermore, the employees alleged that they were not receiving the salaries
they agreed upon in full. Bongiwe, who was based at Mathendele, alleged that she
was promised E1 400 per month, but claims to have often received only E700.
Xolile, who operated the business in Nhlangano town, and was allegedly promised
E1 200 per month, was sometimes paid E600.
Instead of allowing them time, the minister reportedly demanded immediate
payment, stating that they must go and get money to pay him. He allegedly
proceeded to lock both employees out of their rental flats and confiscated
Xolile’s cellphone.
Left stranded and unable to immediately secure the funds, the employees told
this publication that they spent the rest of the day trying to get the money
demanded by the minister.
As evening approached, and rain began to fall, they were forced to seek shelter
from a good Samaritan. Further complicating the situation, the employees were
unable to contact anyone for assistance, as the minister had reportedly taken
Xolile’s cellphone. They alleged that they requested Bongiwe’s brother to
contact the minister and plead with him to allow them access to their flats to
retrieve Bongiwe’s medication. However, the minister allegedly told the
brother that he did not care and that there are many tablets in hospitals. When
contacted, Minister Nzima declined to comment. He stated that he preferred to
engage with the employees directly in the presence of this reporter.
During the interview, the minister reportedly enquired about the last time the
employees had spoken. They responded that their last interaction occurred at
9:30am that morning, which coincided with their scheduled work hours. The
minister further said Bongiwe pleaded to go and fetch money from the bank,
claiming that her sister had promised her some funds. However, Bongiwe later
said she had not definitively confirmed receiving the money from her sister, and
that she had not yet secured the funds. The minister further enquired about his
missing money. Bongiwe stated that she owed E5 500 and Xolile acknowledged a
debt of E6 000. Xolile attributed the discrepancy to a loss of E1 500 that
occurred during a period when the minister was fully engaged in his duties at
Mathendele.
However, the minister insisted that Xolile owed him E7 500 and demanded
immediate full payment in cash. Minister Nzima said: “I want my money, you
stole my money because you want to open your own Mobile Money business and
Xolile has started her own Mobile Money business.” He further asked Xolile
about a specific transaction of December 24, 2024, demanding to know the
recipient of the funds. He said his business is now making a loss because it has
been closed. He demanded to know why they were conducting business through their
personal accounts and enquired about the whereabouts of the commission earned
through those transactions.
The employees acknowledged the debt. They said: “Asesitsi siyidlile lemali,
siyavuma siyidlile.” (translation: “We acknowledge that we spent the money).
They asked the minister for a solution, explaining that their intention was to
give him the money. However, the minister was adamant that the only way to
resolve the situation is for them to immediately pay him the full amount.
Further, when the employees told Minister Nzima that they were hungry and had
slept in the cold, he said: “Maye, siyabonga. You left here, going to the bank
to get money, and said you would call me. Maybe you slept at the bank.” On
another note, the Registrar of the High Court, Nosipho Mazibuko, confirmed that
some individuals were turned back at the Small Claims Court because their matter
does not fall under that court’s jurisdiction. “It is true they were turned
back because their matter is not within our jurisdiction. The Small Claims Court
deals with the recovery of money only. For cellphones and other materials, they
should get a lawyer in order to repossess them,” she said.
Condemned
Human Rights Lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi condemned the minister’s actions,
stating: “The minister acted unlawfully and lawlessly while operating in a
country where there are laws.”
He further mentioned that the minister did not use the proper remedy, thus
weakening his case against the employees and taking the law into his own hands.
“Property possession cannot be enforced without a court order. He should have
sought legal advice before taking any action. Even with a signed lease
agreement, a landlord cannot simply evict a tenant without a court order. This
is a fundamental legal principle, and the minister’s actions clearly
demonstrate a disregard for the rule of law. These tenants have a right to be
restored. I would advise them to seek legal counsel and file an application with
the court for their lawful restoration to their home.”