Government recovers K28,000 social cash transfer gambled by Choma teacher
GOVERNMENT has recovered K28,000 that was misappropriated by an overzealous Choma deputy headteacher in Southern Province who saw an opportunity to enrich himself before delivering the funds to the vulnerable.
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50 year old Sylvester Malumani gambled away the money in an online casino game called Aviator, hoping to multiply the funds.
Instead of doubling or tripling the amount as he likely imagined in his betting, the only thing he gained was a date with the police and lost the whole K28,000 to the gamblers.
Malumani was entrusted with distributing the money to 33 vulnerable beneficiaries under the Social Cash Transfer Programme.
According to police reports, the money was handed over to Malumani on January 8 by Choma District Social Welfare officer Kazembe Zyambo who was attending a workshop.
Days later, when beneficiaries began complaining of non payment, an investigation was done which uncovered Malumani’s attempt to play Aviator with the funds.
The Ministry of Community Development and Social Services has since recovered the full amount and immediately stripped Malumani of his role as Pay Point Manager.
He is now on police bond, awaiting further investigations into his misguided financial experiment.
The Ministry’s principal public relations officer Glenda Nachinga confirmed the recovery of the money in a statement.
To avoid such embarrassing episodes in the future, the Ministry has announced plans to fully digitise cash transfer transactions to eliminate unnecessary human handling of funds which will in turn reduce fraud and ensure that every Kwacha reaches its intended recipient.
“It must be noted that the Ministry is this year accelerating the digitisation of financial transactions, which minimises human contact in handling funds and reduces the risk of mismanagement or delay in the disbursement of funds.”
“Digital platforms offer a more secure, transparent, and efficient means of disbursing resources to the rightful beneficiaries, ensuring that assistance reaches those who need it without delay or risk of mismanagement,” read the statement.
The Ministry further urged the public to remain vigilant and report any misconduct to prevent public resources from ending up in the hands of would-be gamblers or other opportunists.
By Catherine Pule
Kalemba, January 24, 2025