‘FACATA’ REDUCES STOCK THEFT - SOME RESIDENTS

MAFUTSENI – While the focus was on scamming people, Thulwane, the home of Facata scam, enjoyed relative peace.

Before the scam began, residents lost goats on a frequent basis. They also lost some chickens. This is not to suggest that the Thulwane men and women who were arrested for the facata scam were responsible for the disappearance of livestock, but they never complained of any goat theft since the online scamming began. They complained of attempts to con them. In many a times, the attempts failed as they were on high alert, making sure that tricks are swiftly thwarted and scammers are told to forget about receiving their PINs.

It has been “facata this, facata that but, what might have caused young people to engage in a scam that has brought nothing but loss to the victims? The ‘facata scam’ has recently swept through the Kingdom of Eswatini, with communities reeling from the consequences. This online scam, which targets mobile money users, involves scammers calling unsuspecting individuals, manipulating them into revealing sensitive information, including mobile money PINs, and subsequently draining their accounts of funds.

Recent arrests by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) have shed light on the severity of the issue, with several alleged scammers already appearing in court to face charges. But, beneath the surface, this story has roots much deeper than just fraud—it’s a tale intertwined with socio-economic challenges, poor parenting, and community struggles. As part of our investigation, Eswatini News travelled to Thulwane, a rural community under the Timputini chiefdom which is part of Mafutseni Inkhundla. As observed in the reports published by the Times of Eswatini, our sister publication, many of the alleged scammers who have been arrested hail from Thulwane.

Speaking to some of the residents, Eswatini News has established that a confluence of factors is contributing to the surge of criminal activities in this community, particularly among the youth. For weeks, residents across Eswatini have been victimised by the facata scam. Victims reported receiving calls from unknown numbers, with the caller persuading them to share sensitive information about their mobile money accounts. Once the caller extracts the necessary information or convinces victims to enter their PIN on the phone’s keypad, funds are immediately siphoned off.

It has been revealed that the scammers often make the calls in groups of three more. While one person, usually a ‘sweet taker’ makes the call an convinces the receiver to reveal a password, another operates the facility used to withdraw the money such that by the time the call ends, money has already been withdrawn from the cellphone.As the REPS continue to arrest more people, Thulwane has been thrust into the national spotlight, raising questions about why and how so many people from one area became involved in such a scheme.

Local authorities and community leaders point to the high levels lack of parenting, poverty and lack of employment opportunities as significant contributors to the rise in criminal activities in Thulwane. Though Thulwane has a mixture of both wealthy and struggling residents, majority of its community is said to be poor. A civil servant who is one of the overseers of child-development in the area said one of the biggest challenges is lack of parenting. He said for many children, their parents did not play any positive role in their lives. “They have no idea what their children are doing,” he said. He said even when parents are asked to attend open at the local school, many of them do not show interest.

He said such made it easy for criminals to target youth and then train to operate what has become known as facata. Also, the civil servant blamed the lack of a high school in the area as one of the reasons it had been easy to recruit the children. He said in Thulwane, there is only a primary school. The nearest is outside the community, meaning that some of the children are supposed to travel over 30 kilometres a day going to school. “This can be costly for parents and children end up dropping out,” said the civil servant.

He said from his observation, nearly all the children who were involved in the facata scam did not complete high school.Sibheko Dlamini, the area’s ducopho (community development officer), expressed his shock at the situation, acknowledging the dire economic conditions that have left many residents vulnerable to criminal enterprises. “Poverty has contributed greatly to this situation. Many parents are unemployed and unable to provide for their children. As a result, families have come to rely on soup kitchens to feed their children, which is one of the only reliable sources of food in the area,” Sbheko explained.

According to Sbheko, the primary employment opportunities available in Thulwane are related to bricklaying, a trade that, while necessary, does not provide stable or sufficient income. With limited job prospects, many residents face financial hardships, leaving young people especially susceptible to negative influences, according to Sbheko.

... Soup Kitchens, donors also contribute to crime

MBABANE – How does a soup kitchen contribute to crime?

 During the investigation, a civil servant who requested anonymity highlighted an unusual and somewhat disheartening reason for the spike in youth involvement in the scam: the unintended effects of local soup kitchens and donor support. The presence of these soup kitchens, while well-intended, has inadvertently contributed to a breakdown in parental authority in the area. Children no longer depend on their parents for their daily meals, and this has caused a shift in respect and discipline. Many parents don’t even attend school open days anymore to monitor their children’s progress. This was noted by some of the residents of Thulwane, who said many of the alleged facata scammers were still young people who needed parental guidance.

They said when parents are not able to provide for their children, soup kitchens become the source of daily meals. This, according to the residents can result in a child not respecting the parents as they are not considered as providers. “Parents should be the ones providing for their children,” said the residents.The residents said soup kitchens have fostered an environment where children are more easily influenced by older peers or adults involved in criminal activity, who seem to offer a sense of community and purpose. He suggested that many young people might have been recruited together by older individuals who are well-versed in the mechanics of the facata scam.

... Facata a lifesaver, helped curb goat theft – Some Thulwane

THULWANE – The adage, “every cloud has a silver lining”, played out true for residents of Thulwane, now ‘the home of the facata scam’.

While the Facata scam has left many Eswatini residents financially devastated, some members of the rural community of Thulwane experienced an unexpected silver lining: a significant drop in goat theft.Before the infamous scam unfolded, livestock theft, particularly of goats and chickens, was a constant issue in Thulwane, where residents would often wake up to find their animals missing. Villagers frequently voiced concerns about the frequent thefts, and many struggled to safeguard their small livestock, which play an essential role in their livelihood.

Prince Dumisani, who said he was the overseer of Timbutini chiefdom, also confirmed the high theft of goats in the area. Also, the residents revealed that, as the facata scam began drawing attention and stirring fear, residents noticed a strange trend: reports of stolen goats became less frequent. This development was met with mixed emotions. While the scam caused hardship, the unintended drop in livestock theft became a relief to many. "The scam distracted potential thieves, and it’s almost as if they redirected their focus," noted a resident, reflecting on the irony of the situation.

For some residents, the pause in theft provided an unexpected sense of relief amidst the turmoil. Although no one would advocate for scams as a solution to livestock theft, the residents said they saw this as an example of something good emerging from a difficult situation.However, the residents also fell prey to scammers who allegedly stole thousands of Emalangeni from them.

... “I was almost facataed - bucopho

THULWANE – Sbheko Dlamini, the bucopho (community development officer) of Timbutini, revealed how he narrowly avoided falling victim to the Facata scam. Dlamini shared his experience to raise awareness and caution others, especially as reports of scam calls have been on the rise across Eswatini. “I received a call one day from someone claiming to be a technician with the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC),” he recounted. The caller informed him that an illegal electricity connection had been found at his home, leaving him both shocked and concerned.

Alarmed by the allegation, Sbheko asked what steps he should take, hoping to resolve the matter. The caller then requested a substantial payment of E15,000, claiming it would "settle" the issue to avoid further consequences. “The amount sounded excessive, but I was genuinely worried,” Dlamini explained. In a moment of caution, he decided to verify the claim by contacting EEC directly. It was then that he learned there was no such investigation or fee required, confirming his suspicion that the caller was a fraud.

Sbheko said he quickly called the number back, intending to confront the scammers and gather more details, but they had already realised he was onto them. They never answered his calls again, effectively disappearing from his reach. Reflecting on the incident, Dlamini expressed gratitude that he had not been duped but voiced concern about others in the community who may not be as cautious or fortunate. He encouraged others to always verify such calls directly with the organisations mentioned to prevent falling victim to these scams.  “It’s easy to be convinced when they sound so official,” he warned.

... It could never happen under our watch – Community cops

MAFUTSENI – If community police officers were allowed to work in their way, facata scammers would have long been stopped.

This is the view of some of the community police officers under Thulwane. However, they are no longer operating in the area as they admitted that they abandoned their duties. Out of 16 community police officers who were initially commissioned, only three have remained. Prince Dumisani Dlamini, who is the overseer of Timbutini where Thulwane is situated stated that the community police officers stopped assisting in fighting crime because they felt that they were not being appreciated. He said they would only come back if they were given some remuneration.

Dumisani said during the recent unrest, community police officers stopped moving around during night time. He said they were afraid of the people and that they complained that they could not risk their lives without being compensated. “They decided to leave,” he said.However, the prince said he was assured that if they were still around, the facata scam would never have spread to most parts of the community. “They would have stopped it,” he said. Dumisani said the community police officers also complained about not being the full mandate to work. He said they want to operate by using corporal punishment to criminals as a way of deterring would-be thieves.

... Lack of parent-child possible cause – Psychologist

MAFTUSENI – When they say “communication is key,” it is not just a saying, it is true.

A clinical psychologist, who will not be mentioned as she prefers to remain anonymous for personal reasons said the lack of parent-child communication, could contribute to children committing very serious crimes. She said other factors include emotionally absent parents in child-headed families. She further said unemployment and poverty may also lead to committing serious crimes.“There could also be a component of peer pressure which may be perpetrated by the issues around low self esteem or even trying to fit in. This may then lead to children selling each other the idea of using their phones (technology) to commit this kind of crime without paying attention at the consequences of the event,” she stated.

 Also, she said there could be a lack of knowledge by parents can also be a problem. She stated that a child may bring some grocery home using stolen money but the parents may have no knowledge of this.   Substance abuse was also highlighted as a cause of children to engage in serious crimes such as facata.

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