Nyanga resident Alizwa Nomha has vowed never to use the money market transfer system again after she lost R2 000 she tried to send to her mother.
She told Vukani, she deposited R2 000 at the Pep store, in Gugulethu Mall, for her mother on Saturday September 3 last year. She was puzzled when two days later her mother informed her that she had not received the money and so she phoned the store’s call centre to report the matter.
Ms Nomha said she wept and stood motionless when she was informed that the money had been withdrawn from an Absa ATM, at the mall, roughly 30 minutes after she had deposited the money.
She explained that she had deposited the money at the store around 1.30 pm, and immediately informed her mother. “I could not believe what I had just heard. I don’t really know what happened and the only person that I gave my slip to after I had deposited the money was the cashier that was assisting me that day.
“After I deposited the money I left the mall and headed back home. I live alone, so no one touched my things. I believe that the cashier is behind this and she robbed me. But why would she do that?”
The 23-year-old said she opened a case at the Gugulethu police station on Friday September 9. Accompanied by an investigating officer, Ms Nomha visited the store to view CCTV footage.
However, after a meeting between the store manager and the investigating officer, Ms Nomha said she was told she could not view the footage until the following Monday.
She then waited for the officer to provide feedback but on Thursday January 10 she was called by the police station and told that the case had been closed.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I was in the dark about the whole investigation.” Pep stores communication manager, Mariki Schwiebus, said customers were responsible for choosing and safeguarding the PIN needed to make withdrawals.
“Like a bank, Pep cannot be held responsible should the PIN fall into the wrong hands and be used without the owner’s consent to draw funds.
“We advise our customers to be very careful in safeguarding PINs and withdrawal slips to avoid unfortunate incidents such as this from occurring,” she said.
Gugulethu police station spokesperson Constable Sindiswa Ngqele confirmed that a case of theft had been opened at the station, but due to lack of evidence it had been closed. She said an investigator viewed the store’s CCTV footage of the day in question but found no evidence linking the store to the withdrawal of the money.
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