Account Blocked Without Cause, Staff Misconduct, and Zero Accountability

As a home industry business owner, I opened a Capitec Bank account at the Brookside Mall branch to better serve my clients, many of whom also use Capitec. What followed has been a shocking experience of ********* staff behavior, mismanagement, and unjust treatment that has left me financially isolated without access to my own funds.

When opening my account, a Capitec staff member:

Refused to open the account directly at the branch, insisting it must be done via the app;

Took my phone and completed the process themselves;

Then refused to issue me a bank card unless I paid R150 in cash, claiming Capitec "doesn’t issue free cards" — which I later confirmed at another branch is completely false.

Because I never received a card, I had to transfer money from my Capitec account to another bank account in my name just to function. Later, I was stunned to find my account was blocked and flagged for “mule activity,” supposedly due to “unusual patterns” — all of which stemmed from Capitec's own staff misconduct that forced me to move my money just to survive.

To make things worse:

Capitec provided no communication, no SMS, no warning, and no explanation before freezing my account.

When I asked for the reason, I was given a vague reference to transactions from March, even though the block only occurred in July, with no formal notice ever sent.

I was then told Capitec needed to “give feedback to another bank” before unblocking my account — raising a serious POPIA concern. Which bank? What information was shared? And with whose permission? Certainly not mine.

Capitec has shown:

No internal accountability for its staff's actions;

No willingness to investigate properly before labeling me unfairly;

And no regard for customer rights or basic communication.

I have now had to escalate this issue multiple times, and still, there is no resolution, no apology, and no reinstatement of my access.

I demand: A full internal investigation into the misconduct at the Brookside Mall branch;

A formal written apology for falsely accusing me of mule activity;

Immediate unblocking and closure of my account as requested;

Confirmation of what personal information has been shared with any other institutions, and why I was not consulted.

If Capitec fails to take action, I will escalate this to:

The Banking Ombudsman;

The Information Regulator (POPIA violation);

And the FSCA, for regulatory misconduct and mishandling of client funds.

This kind of treatment is unacceptable, especially toward a small business owner trying to survive. Capitec, do better.

Sincerely, Shabana Khan