SWEET MEMBERS WANT THEIR MONEY BACK IN ONLINE PETITION

MBABANE – SWEET members have launched an online petition, demanding to get back their money they made through savings and buying shares into the fund.   

SWEET is an acronym for Swaziland Women Economic Empowerment Trust. It is a company that was established to facilitate lending services mainly to the marginalised population, mostly women. The company was established in April 2015 and its patron is Her Majesty the Queen Mother. It is one of the national economic empowerment initiatives that emanated from the Swaziland Women’s Decade Plan of Action of 2010.

It is worth noting that previously, this publication reported that a number of women who purportedly contributed different amounts after the establishment of SWEET, instituted legal proceedings against the latter. Most of them in their particulars of claim alleged that in various dates and instances, they contributed money which they had expected to get back with interest. It was also reported that some women who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for failure to repay the revolving fund, claimed that they could not repay the money because their monies were with the organisation (SWEET).

The online petition launched by its members, claims that some women sold everything they had before joining the company because they were promised they would be taken out of poverty. However, they alleged that they were left poorer.   It further claims these are women who survived through selling grass mats, marula, guavas and firewood among many others.  “There were agents all over the country who assisted the women to join; the bank was at their premises and they did not have to go to town to join,” reads the online petition.  It further stated that the women were promised loans, interest and dividends from shares they contributed ranging from E500 to E1 000.

Closed

They purported that when the time came for them to borrow and withdraw their money, the offices of the company were closed to date. It was also alleged that those who were tasked by the Queen Mother to act on her behalf, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thuli Dladla and Sibongile Mdluli, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE), were nowhere to be found to answer on this.

The members called upon those responsible for handling their money to be taken to task and bring it back. Meanwhile, Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) President Sibongile Mazibuko, who is the brains behind the petition, confirmed the online petition and said she represented the women in her capacity as a woman leader.  “I have been approached by members of the company who are also members of the NNLC, to help them get their dues. But this is not only for NNLC members, it is for every other woman as well,” she said.  By the time the interview was conducted, there were 197 participants and 95 comments on the online petition. Mazibuko invited more women who were affected to register and submit the list to her.  

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: