A fed-up teacher who did not receive even a single cent of his March salary stormed into the offices of Good Time Finance Cash Loans in Thohoyandou last week, stood on the tables and forcefully shut down all the computers.

He then instructed the workers to close down the business for the day. As if that was not enough, he went there again the next day and did the same until a force of 13 police officers was summoned to remove him from the office. He also went to a high school of which he claims one of the cash loan directors is the principal. He staged a sit-in in the principal’s office, sitting on the principal’s chair until police intervened again. The fed-up teacher is Khathutshelo Nkhumeleni (36) who stays at Muhuyu village and teaches at Nthetsheleseni High School, near Sibasa.

He said he decided to demonstrate his anger in this fashion after the cash loan business allegedly deducted R3 600 from his salary last week, a loan he knew nothing about. "I will keep on engaging in a one-man demonstration until they refund my money. Finish and klaar," said Khathutshelo, who says his whole March salary was exhausted as a result of the deduction. "I did not get even a cent from my March salary when I went to the bank last week. When I checked the statement, I found that my salary was minus R589. This means that I still owe the bank R589. I did not even get a cent from my March salary and I felt like someone who was dreaming. I then went to the offices of the Department of Education to find out because I did not have a pay slip at the time. When they checked, they found out that Good Time Finance had deducted an amount of R3 600. I am a married man with two kids and they all look to me for survival. There is not even a single bag of maize meal at home and my family does not have anything to eat. Besides that, I was going to use part of the money for the family’s Good Friday feast, but my dreams have crumbled."

Khathutshelo says troubles started when he applied for a R5 000 loan from the same company sometime last year, with the aim of finishing his house. "We agreed with the company that they would deduct R773 per month, for a period of 12 months and the deductions went on as planned. On 10 February this year, I went again and took another R 5 000 loan and we agreed that they would deduct R1 500 per month, for a period of six months. Last week when I got paid, I found that they had rightly deducted R773 for the first loan and another R1 500 for the second loan. Amazingly, they then deducted R3 600, which I did not even know. Realizing that I didn’t even have a single cent to take home, I went to their offices and demanded my money."

He said Mr Alex Mmbengeni Nelwamondo told him to come and collect his refund later that day because the company had made a mistake. "When I went there, Nelwamondo told me there was no money at that moment and told me to come the next day. He told me to wait for him at Thohoyandou Nando’s and he never turned up. He kept on postponing and that is why I decided to demonstrate in the office, because my children have nothing to eat. I am even prepared to die for my money or to be arrested by the police and I will never stop demonstrating until I get my money back. Some say I am out of mind but I don’t care because all I want is my money, nothing else!"

Mirror contacted Mr Nelwamondo, who referred us to the director of the company, Mrs Elelwani Ramukosi. Ramukosi says Khathutshelo is her client who has been serviced by her company for more than 10 times and there is no reason to hurt him. She dismissed all the claims that Khathutshelo knew nothing about the deductions and labeled him as someone who is only interested in denting the good image of her company.

She explains the side of her story while producing official documents to back up her explanations: "Khathutshelo came to our offices for the first loan of R5 000 for which he was paying back R773 per month. Before he could even finish up the loan, he came back again and told us that his mother had passed away and he needed another R5 000 for the burial, which he would pay back in full, after he had collected condolences from the mourners. I told him that we couldn’t give him the money because he still owes the company. As a staunch Christian who loves people, my heart broke and I gave him the R5 000 so that he could bury his mother with dignity. After some few days, he came back and told me that he could not pay back as promised because there was a problem with the condolences money. He then told us to deduct R1 500 each month, for the second R5 000 loan which he used to bury his mother. He even signed that agreement. He then came back after some few days and told us that nahone vhutzhelede havho a vha tsha do vhu wana (you will never get your money). He then changed his tune and told us to deduct the whole balance from his salary because he claimed there was somebody who was going to give him a lot of money, which would enable him to pay all his debts. He also failed to disclose to us that he had been declared insolvent and that his salary was taken for administration. He deliberately took the loan, knowing that we would never get the money back. We then prepared our paperwork, because he told us to deduct the whole balance. We were lucky because our stop order went through and he was shocked to learn that his plans never worked. That is why he is spreading the lies that we have deducted his money unlawfully. Ask him again, he will tell you the truth. I think he only needs the power of prayer to deliver him from all his troubles."

Supt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi said Khathutshelo had been warned by the police not to engage in activities that would disturb peace at the Good Time Finance’s offices or at the school where he claims one of the directors is a principal.