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The company, trading as McDowelles International Investments, allegedly used the stop order system to deduct money from civil servants who had not borrowed money from them. Scores of civil servants also alleged that the company was failing to reimburse the money they deducted because officials at the company told them that the company’s coffers were dry.
In an interview yesterday, one of the affected civil servants who identified himself as Mr Ncube said the company had “fleeced” him part of his April and May salaries.
“I realised that this company deducted $220 from my salaries without my permission. I approached them but was only told that it was an error.
“The people did not give me a clear explanation as to how they managed to access my account. They have only managed to give me $40 from the money they took without my consent,” said Mr Ncube.
He said more than 100 people were affected and some had never borrowed money from McDowelles International Investments.
“Life has been difficult for the past two months and what hurts me most is that I was supposed to receive my salary on 24
May with other civil servants but the company deducted my salary again. People need to be wary of such companies who are making profits at the expense of people’s livelihoods,” said the emotional Mr Ncube.
Another woman who spoke on condition of anonymity said the company had made thousands from innocent people.
“Amounts that have been deducted range from $90 to $220 and it is surprising that most of these deductions were done without our signatures or our consent. Personally I have never borrowed money from the company and I am wondering how they accessed my account,” said the woman.
“I was supposed to receive my full salary last week but $150 was deducted without my knowledge or consent. After a series of enquiries, I discovered that McDowelles had taken the money,” said the woman.
She said the company admitted erroneously deducting the money.
“I went to the offices but they said they did not have money at the moment and only gave me $40 out of the $150 they stole from my bank account. I appeal to responsible authorities to look into this issue,” she said.
Contacted for comment, an official from McDowelles only identified as Angie said clients had to approach the company directly and desist from running to the media when they encountered problems.
“I cannot say much but that we are working on solving that problem. However, I encourage our clients to come to us directly because running to the media causes commotion. They should come so we solve the problems amicably and they will receive their money at the end of the month,” said Angie.
The company has offices in Bulawayo, Harare and Masvingo.
Online Reporter