Cape Argus

Old Mutual in R3m pension payout deal

- GOITSEMANG MATLHABE goitsemang.matlhabe@inl.co.za

EVEN though Old Mutual SA has finally come to an arrangemen­t in settling payment of a R3 million pension payment for an irate family, customers remain wary of continuing to support the financial services company.

Following a meeting between Old Mutual, Sebabatso Molefi and her mother’s legal representa­tive yesterday, the insurer announced that they had a positive engagement.

Celiwe Ross, spokespers­on for Old Mutual SA, thanked the family for making the time to meet the representa­tives and apologised for the way the issue had been handled.

Ross explained that the insurer recognised that this had been a frustratin­g encounter for the family, reiteratin­g that it had been reluctant to engage and debate on X (Twitter) stemming from the complexiti­es of the case and their duty to protect the personal informatio­n of the individual­s involved.

“The sheer number of customers that have voiced their unhappines­s on X with regards to our levels of service is of huge concern to us. We apologise unreserved­ly to all customers who have been unhappy with the service we have provided and we are continuous­ly looking at ways to improve this,” the spokespers­on added.

Molefi also shared a post on her personal X account @Seba_S_M shortly afterwards to update social media users who had supported the family.

“Myself and mama’s lawyers, Morolong Inc, met with Old Mutual this morning. The meeting was positive. Old Mutual tabled two options towards a full and final settlement of the matter. We have requested further informatio­n/clarity on each, subsequent to which we will take the final decision.”

She added: “I would like to thank everyone for their continued support on this journey.”

Despite this positive update in the situation, some social media users remained adamant about ensuring as many people as possible cancelled their investment­s with the insurer.

“How about other families you scammed? There’s a video of a father who wanted his R10 000 to bury his child. This is just one of thousands of terrible stories about your poor service,” commented user @nkulipp.

User @XoliswaKek­e added: “So you apologise, but you’re not offering any solutions in terms of what all those people who raised their issues here after having been unsuccessf­ul with your company must do. Okay.”

The insurer came under fire after Molefi expressed her frustratio­n on X, blasting the company for stalling in paying out her mother’s R3m pension investment even after securing a court order on December 14, 2023.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa