GIPF accuses consultant of swindling the naïve

THE Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) is crying foul after a Windhoek-based businessman recently walked away with N$8 000 intended for a woman from an Oshikoto village.

Lavinia Haipito (22) from the village Amuteya became an orphan in May 2001 when her mother died. As Natalia Tomas had been a civil servant, her daughter was entitled to death benefits from the GIPF.The Fund had paid out this money, an amount of either N$30 000 or N$41 573 depending on the source, to the Master of the High Court to be released to Haipito as soon as she turned 21 years old.This happened last year.In a media statement released last week, the GIPF charged that the MD of the close corporation Planet Claim Consultant, Freddy Dawid (referred to as Freddy Shekuza), had found out about the money owed to Haipito, and swindled her into giving some of it to him.”According to Haipito, she was contacted by somebody in her village (and told) that Freddy Shekuza of the GIPF is looking for her urgently and that she should come to the GIPF in Windhoek to receive her money that is at the Master of the High Court,” the statement reads.Although Haipito was not familiar with a Shekuza, the man had apparently offered to pay for her transport to and accommodation in Windhoek.”Haipito said that she used public transport and came to Windhoek where Shekuza fetched her from the bus stop in Okuryangava.He took her to his house in Cimbebasia where she slept for the night,” the GIPF said.The next morning, Dawid’s sister had apparently taken the girl to the Master of the High Court, where she was given the cheque.From there they went to a local bank to get the cheque cashed, and then to the offices of Planet Claim Consultant.Here, the girl was asked to sign a piece of paper, according to which she owed the company N$8 000 as a consultant’s fee.After depositing the rest of her money into her personal bank account, Haipito apparently slept at Dawid’s house another night before returning to her village.The matter came to the GIPF’s attention a while later, after Haipito’s aunt got wind of what had happened, the Fund’s GM for marketing Maria Dax said.”When Haipito told her aunt…the story, the latter suspected that something was wrong and she came to the GIPF to enquire.The GIPF made it clear that the Shekuzas are not employees of the GIPF, neither are they service providers,” Dax stated.The Fund is currently investigating how the private company found out about the money owed to Haipito.Speaking to The Namibian, GIPF Corporate Communications Manager Elvis Nashilongo said the fund was consulting its lawyers about the issue.”This is a campaign that we understand has been running for the past three years now.Since the story became public, others have also phoned and told us that this same man has approached them.In some cases he managed to get their money, in others he wasn’t as lucky,” Nashilongo said.”These people are all from the villages and he makes them sign contracts without them knowing what they are signing.The amounts they are supposed to pay are represented in percentages, so they don’t know what they are signing away,” he continued.When The Namibian managed to speak to Planet Claim Consultant MD Dawid, he maintained that there was nothing wrong with his business, and confirmed that he had been doing this since 2001 when his company was registered with the Trade Ministry.”These people are supposed to get their money when they are 21.She was already 22 when we contacted her,” he said.His company actually provides a valuable service by keeping the list of beneficiaries needing to be paid out by the High Court up to date, he said.”These companies, for example the GIPF, they don’t get funding.So how do you think they make their money? From investors.They used to keep people’s money for years to gain a profit,” he said.”Do they inform people that they are entitled to this money? Why don’t they inform people through the radio or through television?” he asked.According to information on his business card, Dawid provides the same tracing and claiming service for would-be beneficiaries of retirement and life insurance policies, of the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), the Social Security Commission (SSC) and for debt collectors.He denied that he had ever presented himself as an employee of the GIPF, he said, and made the nature of his business perfectly clear to all clients he had ever served.He also claimed that Haipito was perfectly happy with his service, and that it was merely her aunt who felt cheated.”I traced her and she didn’t even know about this money.Then I asked her if she wanted us to help her or whether she would handle her business herself,” he said.”She said she wanted us to help her,” he said.He added that he had in fact personally taken Haipito to the High Court and the bank when she was in Windhoek, and confirmed that she had stayed at his house during that period.His company charges a 20 per cent service charge, he said, and another 15 per cent for VAT.”Our company is here for helping the community, not for robbing people.We are fully registered,” he added.Dawid said he too has been consulting his lawyers, and is contemplating legal action against the GIPF for tarnishing his name in the media.As Natalia Tomas had been a civil servant, her daughter was entitled to death benefits from the GIPF.The Fund had paid out this money, an amount of either N$30 000 or N$41 573 depending on the source, to the Master of the High Court to be released to Haipito as soon as she turned 21 years old.This happened last year.In a media statement released last week, the GIPF charged that the MD of the close corporation Planet Claim Consultant, Freddy Dawid (referred to as Freddy Shekuza), had found out about the money owed to Haipito, and swindled her into giving some of it to him.”According to Haipito, she was contacted by somebody in her village (and told) that Freddy Shekuza of the GIPF is looking for her urgently and that she should come to the GIPF in Windhoek to receive her money that is at the Master of the High Court,” the statement reads.Although Haipito was not familiar with a Shekuza, the man had apparently offered to pay for her transport to and accommodation in Windhoek.”Haipito said that she used public transport and came to Windhoek where Shekuza fetched her from the bus stop in Okuryangava.He took her to his house in Cimbebasia where she slept for the night,” the GIPF said.The next morning, Dawid’s sister had apparently taken the girl to the Master of the High Court, where she was given the cheque.From there they went to a local bank to get the cheque cashed, and then to the offices of Planet Claim Consultant.Here, the girl was asked to sign a piece of paper, according to which she owed the company N$8 000 as a consultant’s fee.After depositing the rest of her money into her personal bank account, Haipito apparently slept at Dawid’s house another night before returning to her village.The matter came to the GIPF’s attention a while later, after Haipito’s aunt got wind of what had happened, the Fund’s GM for marketing Maria Dax said.”When Haipito told her aunt…the story, the latter suspected that something was wrong and she came to the GIPF to enquire.The GIPF made it clear that the Shekuzas are not employees of the GIPF, neither are they service providers,” Dax stated.The Fund is currently investigating how the private company found out about the money owed to Haipito.Speaking to The Namibian, GIPF Corporate Communications Manager Elvis Nashilongo said the fund was consulting its lawyers about the issue.”This is a campaign that we understand has been running for the past three years now.Since the story became public, others have also phoned and told us that this same man has approached them.In some cases he managed to get their money, in others he wasn’t as lucky,” Nashilongo said.”These people are all from the villages and he makes them sign contracts without them knowing what they are signing.The amounts they are supposed to pay are represented in percentages, so they don’t know what they are signing away,” he continued.When The Namibian managed to speak to Planet Claim Consultant MD Dawid, he maintained that there was nothing wrong with his business, and confirmed that he had been doing this since 2001 when his company was registered with the Trade Ministry.”These people are supposed to get their money when they are 21.She was already 22 when we contacted her,” he said.His company actually provides a valuable service by keeping the list of beneficiaries needing to be paid out by the High Court up to date, he said.”These companies, for example the GIPF, they don’t get funding.So how do you think they make their money? From investors.They used to keep people’s money for years to gain a profit,” he said.”Do they inform people that they are entitled to this money? Why don’t they inform people through the radio or through television?” he asked.According to information on his business card, Dawid provides the same tracing and claiming service for would-be beneficiaries of retirement and life insurance policies, of the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA), the Social Security Commission (SSC) and for debt collectors.He denied that he had ever presented himself as an employee of the GIPF, he said, and made the nature of his business perfectly clear to all clients he had ever served.He also claimed that Haipito was perfectly happy with his service, and that it was merely her aunt who felt cheated.”I traced her and she didn’t even know about this money.Then I asked her if she wanted us to help her or whether she would handle her business herself,” he said.”She said she wanted us to help her,” he said.He added that he had in fact personally taken Haipito to the High Court and the bank when she was in Windhoek, and confirmed that she had stayed at his house during that period.His company charges a 20 per cent service charge, he said, and another 15 per cent for VAT.”Our company is here for helping the community, not for robbing people.We are fully registered,” he added.Dawid said he too has been consulting his lawyers, and is contemplating legal action against the GIPF for tarnishing his name in the media.