********* Upselling and Unauthorized Funeral Policy Enrollment at Ballito Branch

I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding an incident that occurred at the Standard Bank Ballito branch on 5 January 2026. My parents, who are pensioners, visited the branch with the intention of transferring funds from their everyday accounts into money market and other savings or investment accounts.

Unfortunately, during this process, it appears that the consultant (Cameron) assisting them enrolled my mother in a funeral policy for me without her informed consent. My mother did not intend to purchase this policy, and she did not have my ID number, only my birthdate. It is alarming that the consultant took advantage of her unawareness and potentially exploited her and my family’s trust. What is even more concerning about the incident is that the consultant went on to tell my mother that she did not have to inform me that she had "taken" cover for me.

We are in the process of addressing this issue with the branch directly to cancel the policy. However, I wanted to bring this matter to your attention, as it reflects poorly on the bank’s ethical standards and customer service practices.

I trust that Standard Bank will investigate this incident thoroughly and take appropriate action to ensure that such practices are not repeated. We value transparency and integrity in banking, and I hope that my complaint will help uphold these principles.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely, Zethu Banda