MBABANE: Bayabonga Bongnkosi Dube, a driver to Justice Minister Pholile Dlamini-Shakantu allegedly defrauded his former girlfriend, a contract teacher twenty-three thousand Rands(R23,000.00).
Speaking to this Swaziland News on Monday, the contract teacher first clarified that, Dube was her boyfriend and due to financial challenges, boyfriend pretended to be coming with a solution.
“As you know that our salaries as teachers are very low, so I was hoping for an alternative way to generate income.He lied to me that in one of his businesses, employees want short loans and forty-five thousands Rands(R45,000.00) was needed urgently, he said that money will generate 20% interest every-month. Thereafter, he asked me to raise at least R23,000.00 while promising to add the twenty-two thousand(R22,000.00). We didn’t sign anything because I thought we are in-love and he was helping me as well to grow financially, but, I have proof of transfers. I then discovered that he doesn’t own the companies he claimed to own, the companies actually belong to Michello Shakantu, the husband to the Minister. Even the cars that he drives are owned by the Shakantu family. He then started to avoid me and has been refusing to pay-back my money despite consistent requests. Utsi noma ngingambopha ngeke entiwe lutfo ngoba labantfu etiNkantolo batfuma yena leku-Minister bayamati. Vele-ke kute ngibatse ngiyambopha kute lokwentekako”, said the contract teacher whose name cannot be revealed for ethical reasons.
The driver to the Justice Minister joined the fast-lane and avoided questions when contacted by this Swaziland News on Monday.
Transactions suggest that the Justice Minister’s driver received the monies through Mobile Money.
Justice Minister Pholile Shakantu had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments, Sibongile Mazibuko, the President of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress(NNLC) said, teachers were “vulnerable to be defrauded by men who pretend” to love yet they want to use them.
”Teachers are vulnerable to be defrauded by men who pretend to love them, these men normally convince them to apply for SNAT loans and thereafter, the men would dump them. Others have built houses for men with SNAT loans hoping they were doing that for their families, only to be dumped. We urge the Justice Minister to take action against her driver. Akabuyise imali ya-thishela, sigebengu singabhaci etidvwabeni ta-Minister”, said the NNLC President, a former President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT).
Justice Minister’s driver Bongnkosi Dube.