Dear Editor
Empower bank is one institution that expressed assurances to engage the Youth and distressed SMEs through financial inclusion.
Unfortunately, the bank has been riddled with missteps since it opened its doors to the general public.
Besides poor corporate governance, employees on the one hand have their self esteem suffocating at every tick of a second. They literally can’t breathe. Working conditions are extremely horrendous and it’s an inconceivable nightmare.
Mhembere, the bank’s acting CEO and one very arrogant Shuro, command fellow employees with no dignity and respect. They find it hard to draw parallels between Empower bank operations and their privately owned businesses.
A good number of employees so far ,have prematurely terminated their contracts citing absence of teamwork, very unfriendly, abusive and toxic working environment.
Unprofessionalism is the order of the day. Employees are constantly harassed by these bosses. The real cause for human resource flight is frustrations. It is a lamentable state of affairs.
Heavy losses were incurred under the duo’s watch(+/-ZWD7MILLION) in the previous financial year as evidenced in one of the publications. These losses were either through spending or misplaced priorities, pilferage, corruption or otherwise. The duo seem unmoved by this development. They tried to avoid the bank’s financials published, but RBZ turned down their plea for a waiver.
Lack of confidence and inability to make sound corporate decisions is evidential by their cluelessness to steerthe bank out of its current self induced abyss.
Productive hours are spent running errands for their privately owned businesses abusing the bank’s resources, a gross abuse of authority.
A break-in that occurred not long ago at the bank’s offices, #60 West Road-Strathaven, revealed various items having gone missing that included clients’security documents. Suspicion pointed to an inside job and envisaged highly ‘RISKY’.
It is suspected the motive was to conceal evidence of dubiously loaned funds to blacklisted clients against security documents in the bank’s possession from an imminent Audit or one that was already underway.
The premises had just been secured with a theft proof security system when the burglars pounced. It remains unclear whe the rit was through instinct for the burglars to pinpoint exactly where to disarm the security system when they gained access?
Coincidentally the burglars mysteriously spotted location of every item they were targeting amongst them a safe that contained valuable security documents and an undisclosed amount of US dollars.
They also managed to locate car keys for the bank vehicle which they used to ferry the stolen goods.How that vehicle was later found abandoned in Msasa area by one of the staff member’s spouse early that morning still remains a mystery.
It raised red flags as the top most bosses never paid much attention to the horrifying incident.
At their Bulawayo branch, a member of staff made off with an undisclosed amount of loan funds destined for the bank’s clients. The culprit was never brought to book, instinctively heresigned and nothingwas recovered.
It is imperative for Superintendents of this institution (The Youth Ministry) to keep their eyes peeled and curb further losses under these bosses.
It’s baffling and incomprehensible to determine where the bank’s allocation from Treasury is diverted to when there little to show for it.
Government Officials recently toured the bank’s HQ offices and all provincial branches across the country. It is of note that from their assessment of things prevailing, they bemoaned lack of noticeable progress on the ground.
In light of the aforementioned, it would be suicidal for Authorities to entertain any excuses from these bosses currently at the helm of the institution. An urgent redress is only prudent.
-Concerned citizen