NGO dupes over 700 Livingstone residents
A SCAM has been unearthed in Livingstone where a non-governmental organisation is dubiously collecting money from unsuspecting members of the public on pretext they would be offered various incentives through clubs formed in the district.
The NGO, Social Aid Protection Zambia (SPAZ), which claims to be operating under the district administration office, is reportedly asking residents to pay K65 which includes K15 registration for joining the clubs in some wards in the area.
There are 20 members per club and from each ward according to them they are recruiting six or seven clubs for each ward and we have 17 wards in Livingstone — Ms Kawina.
Acting Livingstone District Commissioner Harriet Kawina who confirmed this to journalists during a briefing on Wednesday, said so far the NGO had collected money from more than 700 residents.
She said among incentives the NGO was promising the residents include micro finance empowerment of about K5, 000 for each member of the various clubs in the wards and Townships.
Ms. Kawina said SPAZ had been collecting money from the public on the pretext that the organisation was operating under the Government through her office.
She said the organisation had so far collected money from people in Ngwenya, Malota, Linda, Railway, Mwandi, Dambwa Central and Damwa Site and Service townships.
“There are 20 members per club and from each ward according to them they are recruiting six or seven clubs for each ward and we have 17 wards in Livingstone,”
“Each ward has more than 100 people we are estimating that more 700 people have had their money collected but there could be more,” Ms Kawina said.
She said the organisation’s executive members who claimed to have come from Lusaka had recently paid a courtesy call on her office.
Ms. Kawina said despite not being permitted to start operating, the organisation started collecting money from the public.
She said in some cases, the members of the organisation claimed they were working with Government through the office of the District Commissioner to collect money from the public.