1 750 ex-SWEET members to get their money
NHLANGANO – At least 1 750 former Swaziland Women Economic Empowerment Trust (SWEET) members will get their money by month-end.
This was confirmed by the Central Bank of Eswatini Head Strategy and Communication, Mandla Luphondvo, when giving an update on the process of reimbursing the former members. There were 1 750 undisputed claims and 2 240 others that were disputed.
Luphondvo stated that they needed to have aligned with the court’s decision by March 19, 2024.
He said they were then going to deal with the logistics, including the process of payment and were going to be done by the end of the month, when the former members were going to receive their monies.
Claims
Luphondvo said for the disputed claims, there were going to be delays, as the members had to provide proof that they deposited the money they claimed to have deposited.
He said once that was done, they were then going to consolidate and agree, after which they would begin the payment process.
Luphondvo said there were some sensitive matters, wherein other people said they lost the receipts of their deposits and it was for the liquidator to determine what happened next. According to the head strategy, liquidation was a process of law and all things were done by the book, hence they did not know how much time it would take for the disputed claims to be worked on.
He said legally, once the window was closed, they were going to proceed, but since the whole liquidation exercise touched on elderly people who had been waiting for many years, the court could be approached for an extension if necessary.
He said the reason they felt those who were aligned were supposed to be paid was for progress’s sake and for them (former members) to move on with their lives.
He said everything was, however, controlled by the courts, who guided them with timelines as well.
In fact, Luphondvo said they were still receiving calls from people who learned about the claiming exercise way after deadlines, and they were requesting to be assisted.
He said they were initially expecting about 8 000 former members who were registered at SWEET from the 3 990; a difference of about 4 010 people who are yet to show up, if they would.
He said the people showed up late and claimed to have turned back because of the long queues, while some did not hear about the public verification exercise of the individual statements of account last month.
“We are taking their information and phone numbers, when they call the central bank, so that in the event there is a chance for an extension, they will be notified,” he said.
Luphondvo said they were hoping that the court would grant the extension, so that everyone could be assisted and the case be closed.