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Transferring attorney who ‘pocketed’ the Kunene’s money avoiding family
Buying a house cash is every person’s dream, but for the Kunene family this has turned into a nightmare.
Their home in Protea Glen has been placed on auction by Standard Bank despite it being paid off in 2010.
Bandile Kunene, 31, said they bought the property they rented through a home loan in 2009 after the death of their father. Kunene said they did not know when their mother would receive her inheritance, and their landlord gave them first choice to buy the house before he advertised it.
He and his brother Zakhele then offered to buy it through a Standard Bank home loan, but shortly after the loan was approved, but before the transfer was completed, his mother received her inheritance.
His mother then paid the full amount of R340 000 to Standard Bank on September 10 2010, said Kunene. He said they instructed transferring attorney, Alma Lubbe, to cancel the loan application as his mother was able to buy the house cash.
“We thought we had gained our financial freedom to pursue other ventures, but little did we know that the attorney proceeded with the transaction and accepted cash from the bank and kept the money to herself without telling us,” Bandile said.
He said the bank did not notify them that the home loan was paid off, but debited his account with R3 800 in repayment of the loan for two years until he decided to close the account from which the bank was withdrawing money.
“Speaking to the transferring attorney has not helped because she ignores my plea to return the home loan money to the bank,” he said.
Bandile said Standard Bank advised him to open a case of fraud, but he could not provide proof to show into whose account they paid the home loan.
His mother’s house has now been placed on auction, to be held on Friday. Bandile said this was the second attempt by the bank to sell their house.
The first auction was stopped after they asked Standard Bank’s chief executive officer to intervene in April.
“At this stage the bank has offered to trace the lawyer who received their money and placed the house on auction without telling us about their investigation,” Bandile said.
Ross Linstrom of Standard Bank said the bank was looking into this matter and could only respond once the investigation was completed. Contacting Lubbe proved futile as the land line for her office is not in service and calls to her cellphone go straight to voice mail.