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Anele Zagagana claims Absa wrongfully repossessed his vehicle despite him paying outstanding arrears
Picture: Absa
A Gauteng man accusing Absa bank of unlawfully repossessing his vehicle is taking legal steps to compel them to release it.
Anele Zagagana from Springs in Ekurhuleni said his legal team was finalising the lawsuit against the bank for refusing to release his car after paying the accumulated arrears.
In July last year, Zagagana had financial problems and reached an agreement with the bank to pay what he could afford until his financial situation improved.
“Since 2023, I have been paying my instalment every month until May last year, when I started paying about R4 000 instead of the required R6 000. Things got better around December and I started paying the full amount.
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“But two men came to my home earlier this month to repossess the car. They said I will get the car after paying the arrears amounting to R27 000. I also heard there were additional fees and I have to pay R40 000,” Zagagana said.
“When I asked them about the additional fees, they did not give me straight answers. That is why I refused to pay it and took legal action.”
The 33-year-old truck driver said he was ready to fight until the bank released his car. Zagagana’s legal representative, Mabu Marweshe, has confirmed that the litigation was underway.
The Citizen has seen confirmation letters showing that Zagagana has settled his arrears, as well as a document confirming the bank was demanding a payment of R40 000 instead of the R27 000 previously agreed upon.
“We have taken instruction from Zagagana to bring an application before the high court,” his lawyer said.
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“The matter includes unlawful demands for money not tied to our client and failure to protect private information by giving confidential information to individuals who used this information to violate the rights of our client at the time of demanding the vehicle and also threatening him with arrest.”
Charl Potgieter, managing executive for Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance, denied the allegations.
“After reviewing this matter, we can confirm that all processes were followed in accordance with our policies and the relevant legal requirements. This includes the use of field agents to assist with vehicle recoveries, which is a widely adopted practice across the industry.
“While we cannot divulge details of our customer’s circumstances, we can confirm that we are in contact with him and will continue engaging him around his concerns.
“At Absa, in line with our customer-centric approach, we rely on time-honoured interventions to help our customers recover from financial hardships.”
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