Absa condones ***** and uses their customers hard earned money to pay out **********

This is a story of how I was ****** using a well organised set up by a group of 10 ******** men followed my ATM *****. I was de*****ed at an ATM of R24 000 in about 5 minutes in 12 separate transactions of R2000 each, and how ABSA refused to pay me.

I have banked with Absa for around 4 years as a customer who lives abroad. Absa is aware I live abroad because I always have. I am a single mother who receives zero assistance for my daughter by her father, hence I choose to live abroad to make use of a stronger currency and in this way, I can provide for my daughter. I am a good Absa customer. I pay my Bill's on time. I have teo mortgages with Absa. Absa likes my foreign currency, but supports ********* and ATM ********** over me- their four year long customer.

Usually I visit South Africa once a year, but due to the Pandemic, I could not get home for two years. To make the journey home I had to sell all my furniture and give up my rental house to afford the two flights, costs, return etc. for me and my child. There were no connecting domestic flights to get me from JHB to EL where my parents live because of Covid, so I decided to rent a car at Joburg Airport and drive home to Gonubie, East London instead.

Along the way, I stopped at Shell Ultra, Umtata, for refreshments. Some smiling, well dressed man, smiled at me as I was returning to my car, and said hi to me. He asked if I was from Cape Town like him. I did not make conversation but was polite and responded no. He mentioned that my car is from Cape Town, though, to which I responded it was a rental. He told me I'd need to get another token for the new toll gate because my token was for Gauteng toll gates, not the King's Road. He rhetorically interjected that Nelson Mandela is from here. I nodded at this comment because I too am aware of the pride of our nation, Nelson Mandela, being from the Easter Cape near Umtata. That comment was interesting psychologically because he had planted a seed into my brain - 1) the buy in that I know Nelson Mandela is the fictitious 'King' of our people 2) that it was possible that a new toll gate had been built in Mandela's name called 'The King's Road'. I thought little of the conversation, and was eager to get home to give my mother a big hig after two years away. I jumped in my car and drove 50 kms. By this time, I'd forgotten the meeting with that friendly guy. But ahead of me I could see a white security bakkie parked on the left. Standing in the centre of the road next to the vehicle were government-looking, officially dressed men, wearing matching white uniforms, holding clipboards, wearing tags around their necks stopping oncoming traffic. These men stopped the vehicle infront of me and I noticed directed it to pull into the road on the right. I patiently waited while the government looking men talked to the vehicle in front waiting my turn. I edged forward and wound my window a little down. The smiling official welcomed me to the Eastern Cape. He said I was about to drive on the King's Road and I'd need to buy a token if I didnt have one. He said I should pull into the right at the Sasol Garage there and I could get my token there. I followed seemingly government given orders. I indicated right, and drove in. I parked, locked my eight year old daughter in to ensure her safety and went towards the shop.

A man came out and greeted me. He said he was the supervisor of the shop and asked i i was looking to buy a token for the King's Road. I said yes. He said i needed to put my bank card into the Nedbank ATM machine there and select the token. I followed the man infront of me. I waited for the man ahead to complete his transaction and it was my turn to get the token.

I put my card into the machine and put in my pin. The machine seemed to freeze for a moment. The screen went funny. I pressed cancel, cancel, cancel..my card was stuck in the machine. I kept pressing cancel. The supervisor disappeared into the shop. The name of this shop is Qunu Sasol Garage Shop. My card was stuck. I was getting stressed and kept pressing cancel. A petrol attendant kindly said to me not to worry because in South Africa the electricity goes on and off. They call these loadshedding and sometimes the ATMs therefore freeze like this. Eventually my card came out. I still did not gave the required token to continue my journey. I reinserted my card and again put my pin number into the machine. Again, the same thing happened. I was so angry and tired of driving and frustrated. I just wanted to get back on the road to get home and give my mom a hug. Again I pressed cancel over and over. Eventually my card spat out and i thought I'll just take my chances at the actual toll gate and explain the situation to them there. I got in my car and felt so angry at the wasted time and my exhaustion. I began driving but felt weird. Then the penny dropped immediately. I immediately called the police to ask if there even was in fact a Kings Road Toll Gate. The police couldn't understand English so I hung up and called Absa. I told Absa that I think I was de*****ed and cancelled my card immediately. I opened a ***** case. The police called me back with someone who could speak English. I turned back and met the police st the scene of the crime where i opened a police case. The scene had changed- there was no government bakkie parked on the road stopping cars, there was no friendly supervisor of the shop, even the petrol attendant had gone. It was a different place altogether missing around ten men who had been there moments ago setting up a scene to de***** me.

I followed all Absa protocol as they instructed me to do. Then they sent me a letter with zero evidence of their so called investigation. The letter said Absa is not responsible for the *****.

They did not tell me what the end point of the transaction was - 1) where did that R24 000 get withdrawn from, because it was not that ATM I was standing at. 2) i never requested a withdrawal that day 3) moreover, it is not humanly possible to withdraw R24000 cash into your hand in increments of R2000. 4) the level of abnormality of that transaction is outrageous! All my banking is completed from abroad where I live. I have never withdrawn R24000 in my life. I have never been to Qunu, EC. Had Absa been doing their job they would have flagged these 12 transactions immediately and called me to ask if I was withdrawing this amount in the space of 5 minutes from a place I never have been to in my life. 5) I took photos of the scene and there are two cameras there - send me the evidence of money coming out that machine and who took it. It was not me. 6) the bank statements are unusual compared to other transactions and clearly are *****. 7) show me evidence of Absa contacting those police officers who met me there that day. 8) show me the evidence of Absa trying to contact me when these strange ********** transactions were being made on my account unbeknownst to me- absa did not call me, nor email me, nor send me an SMS.

When I was a child if government men stopped you on the road and instructed you to do something, you did it. I was set up by those ******** men and Absa not oy sides with them and their set up, Absa condones it and pays them their own customers money. Absa sides with *********. It takes and uses its customers hard earned money and pays it to **********. Is this what Absa calls business? I am shocked and disgusted.

I have tried to follow this up with Absa- 1) they sent me the name Jonathan Musillah as the person to talk to. I emailed him, but received no response. Then I tried again and received mail saying Jonathan Musillah blocked receipt of my emails. I went to the branch in Beacon Bay and waited - no exaggeration- 3 hours to see someone who gave me the contact number and email of the Ombudsman. I emailed and attached all information, but received no reply. I called Absa on different occasions trying to het to the bottom of this. Absa gave me different information every time - Absa gave me 5 different numbers for the Ombudsman including the Covid Vaccination registration site as one of them..they gave me various numbers for the ***** department. The gave me different emails for the Ombudsman because I told them the one I had already emailed had not rep****. Eventually I got the correct number and email for the Ombudsman which was not the one I originally emailed and so not only my time was wasted by Absa again, but it had all been for nothing, and now my case is delayed further.

Absa expects its customers to wait 3 hours to see a representative with a long line snaking outside down the mall. This is disrespectful. 3 hours to wait! Shocking!

It is 2021 and Absa is still unable to input my telephone number into their system, so they are unable to call me. Seriously! Absa enjoys using my foreign money but cannot even input my foreign phone number. It is 2021!

Absa is so disorganised that it gives a multitude of incorrect contact numbers and email addresses to its customers. If this is the level of Absa organisation it is no wonder they took the easy way out and let the ********** walk off with R 24 000 of my money, because they dont even have their own files in order, or up to date.

The worst part of this is I'm in the process of moving country and trying my best to find ways to help me and my daughter have a better future, and my bank, Absa chooses to take the side of ******** activity in South Africa over that of their own customers.

Disgusting. Insulting. Disrespectful. ********.

Please pay me back my R24 000. I never withdrew it. I never requested a withdrawal. It was done without my knowledge, consent or wish. I notified Absa immediately..I have provided 6 months bank statements, photos of the scene, evidence of all my own transactions, including flight entry, residency card for overseas, hotel booking, rental car booking, petrol receipts.

Please pay me my money back and be on my side - the nom ******** side.

Please Absa.