********** Behaviour

I need clarity from GEPF as I need to know how they make payments to beneficiaries as until this day I have not received any payment as one of my mother’s beneficiaries. I have been trying to communicate with the GEPF since 2013 and went as far as travelling to the GPAA offices and have not been assisted to date. In February 2013 I received a call from the GEPF while I was working at Kumalo Primary School as an SGB appointed PS staff member that I need to go to GEPF offices in Johannesburg and fill out forms that will release the funds to me as a beneficiary who is no longer a minor and I travelled to Johannesburg to fill out the forms and attached banking details, I was told that I should expect response in 8 weeks and never received a call until I decided to call again in May 2013 and was told that the forms were received and the money was already paid out. Because the money never made it to my bank account which I produced in the forms that I filled in, I decided to go to their offices in Pretoria and I met up with an Administrator named Caiphus Silolo who told me upon my arrival that the funds were indeed paid out to the beneficiaries and he will investigate the matter and get back to me within 24 hours which he never did to date. After months of waiting, I then went as far as trying to get his email address which I succeeded in getting in July 2013 and tried to email him and follow up on the case where I was notified that he is on study leave and Phephelaphi Masango had taken over my case on his behalf and will assist me in gathering the information that I needed. After months of trying to get a hold of Mr Masango in August 2013 I received a call from GEPF asking about my late brother, Bongani Nkosi, who also had to “claim” as a beneficiary. When I told the lady that he had passed on, she asked for my email address where she would send forms where I have to declare that he has passed on and fill out forms again that would allow his share to be distributed equally to the beneficiaries that remained. To this day, that email was never received. On 12 September 2013 I sent a letter of complaint to who I believe was Branch Manager at the time, Mr Ephraim Kekana, stating my grievances and what had transpired and how my cases were never taken seriously. I also failed as the only thing I received was an automated message telling me that the email had been received but no response was received until this day. In 2019, I tried to make my own investigations as to who received the funds on my behalf and I called GEPF again and the lady was happy to check for me. After giving her my details and the details of my late mother, she told me that the money had already been paid out to a person whose name she cannot disclose but can just give me the number. When she gave the number, it was discovered by me that the numbers she gave me belonged to my step father, Mr Sipho Lawrence Motsamai, who I was no longer living with since 2007. After I had found out who the money was paid to, I still had questions and still wanted to know how the GEPF could pay money to an account that I never gave them when filling in the forms. I decided in 2021 February to send an email to *** and wanted to find out what really had transpired. The response I got a month later, on 1st March 2021, was no different, the money indeed was paid out and they unfortunately have no authority to disclose the names of the beneficiaries, which is understandable. I acknowledge that the money had already been paid out but wish to understand how someone regarded as a guardian be able to sign off on funds that were meant for someone who is already an adult. Why did I fill out forms yet the funds were paid to a different account? According to my knowledge, someone over the age of 21 is regarded as an adult and no guardian can sign on his/her behalf unless there is documentation proving that the person in question is not in a clear mental state to sign by him/herself. I hereby request the GEPF to provide me with the documents that deemed me unable to sign for monies that were supposed to be received by me or any documentation stating that Mr Motsamai has been granted permission by me to have access to my funds that allowed him to have money deposited in his personal account. As I mentioned earlier, it’s been 10 years trying to get answers from the GEPF and I have failed every time to get answers. I suspect ********** behaviour and hold both the GEPF and Mr Motsamai accountable. I urge the GEPF to take into account the seriousness of this matter and give me the answers I need so we can reach some sort of agreement and understanding or the matter will be forwarded to my legal team as I feel the GEPF was very ******** and show no interest in assisting me and I hold them and Mr Motsamai accountable for the ********** activity that took place when funds were released.