Itumeleng Daycare Centre in Protea South held a parents’ meeting last week following allegations of a parent’s fraudulent use of the centre’s bank account details last year in August.
The accused parent allegedly used the centre’s banking details to register for a gym membership after she was approached to join a gym at Protea Glen Mall last year. The gym company has since been debiting the centre’s bank account an amount of R200 every month.
The amount debited thus far has accumulated to R4000 including banking charges, however, the accused parent, claims she did not use the banking details intentionally.
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“I was approached by people at the mall asking me if I want to join the gym and I agreed, but I told the guy that was helping me with the contract that I don’t have a bank account.
“He asked me if I have any other bank account that I could use and I told him I only have the creche’s and I can’t use it but he was busy jotting it down while we were talking,” the accused told the other parents at the meeting.
Keletso Malese, the principal of the daycare centre, however, notes that parent in question told a different story in a previous meeting.
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“When we met yesterday she admitted to knowingly using the centre’s bank account details and she apologised, now she is changing her story,” Malese said.
Police advised the parents and Malese to either press criminal charges or arrange for Seopa to pay the amount in full at once as the case will become civil once a payment agreement is signed.
“I’m disappointed because I wasn’t aware this person used the creche’s bank account details without my approval and in spite of the fact that I told him it’s the creche’s account. I think the solution is to take my child out of the creche and pay its money back,” the accused said.
Parents were furious upon hearing her solution to the problem at hand.
“Why does she want to take her child out of the creche? She knows nothing about this!” said Sbongile Pakela, a parent who attended the meeting.
“Her story does not add up however the gym was also wrong in accepting account details that belonged to the creche and not her,” Pakela continued.
The parents have taken some time to decide on a course of action for both the parent and the gym company implicated.
