FORMAL COMPLAINT: URGENT UNAUTHORISED DEDUCTIONS CAUSING SEVERE HARDSHIP

FORMAL COMPLAINT: URGENT UNAUTHORISED DEDUCTIONS CAUSING SEVERE HARDSHIP . DM Jacobs cell:***

I am lodging a formal complaint regarding the continued deductions being made by African Bank from my mother’s account despite repeated disputes and several attempts to come to a reasonable repayment arrangement. My mother is not refusing to pay and is not avoiding her responsibilities. She previously went under debt counselling, but during the COVID period she was retrenched and could no longer afford the debt counselling payments. Thereafter, she made a telephonic arrangement directly with African Bank to pay R300 per month, based on what she could reasonably afford under her current financial circumstances. Although this arrangement was made verbally over the phone, African Bank should have a recording and internal call logs of this agreement. Despite this good-faith arrangement and repeated disputes, African Bank continues to deduct money from her account in a manner that is causing severe hardship. The funds being deducted are from her SASSA grant income, which is intended for essential living expenses including food, electricity, and daily survival. Continued deductions from these funds are leaving her unable to meet her basic needs. SASSA states that grant deductions require consent and are subject to strict legal limits. We therefore formally request: Immediate suspension of all deductions pending investigation Retrieval and review of all call recordings and call logs relating to the telephonic arrangement Written confirmation of the agreed repayment terms A full statement of all deductions made Refund of any unauthorised or excessive deductions, where applicable Should this matter not be resolved urgently, we will escalate the complaint to HelloPeter, the Ombudsman for Banking Services, the National Credit Regulator, and SASSA for further investigation. The OBS specifically handles unresolved banking complaints and maladministration by banks.