This follows the heist pulled off at FNB in Randburg on December 18\u201a when thieves made off with 360 safety deposit boxes after tying up the lone security guard on duty and then using a jackhammer to gain access.
Two days later police found 252 of the boxes dumped in a field outside the FNB stadium. They\u2019d been forced open and emptied of jewellery\u201a Krugerrands and other valuables\u201a with only documents left behind.
No arrests have been made in either case.
FNB\u2019s safety deposit contract states that the bank will not be legally responsible \u201cunder any circumstances for any loss or damage that may occur to the contents\u201d and urges customers to insure the contents\u201a but victims of the first heist are contemplating legal action\u201a alleging that the bank was negligent in not securing the facility appropriately.
They were paying monthly fees of a few hundred rand to secure their valuables. Lee-Anne van Zyl\u201a CEO of FNB Points of Presence\u201a confirmed to ConsumerLIVE that the debit orders of \u201cimpacted\u201d clients had been cancelled.
Asked what the bank was doing to return the passports\u201a title deeds and other important documents that were recovered to their owners as soon as possible to spare them the schlep and expense of replacing them\u201a Van Zyl said the documents were still in the police\u2019s possession.
\u201cFNB will be guided by the investigation process regarding the way forward\u201a\u201d she said.
Another thing which several victims have expressed anger about is a letter they received from the manager of the FNB Randburg branch\u201a stating \u201cour recent telephone call to you..confirming that a burglary occurred..\u201d
That\u2019s because bank staff did not call them to inform them of the burglary. \u201cI heard about it on the radio and called the Randburg branch for more information\u201a\u201d said James Miles.
\u201cWe read about (the heist)\u201a phoned and then went in\u201a\u201d said \u201cNicole\u201d on the victims\u2019 WhatsApp group. \u201c(The manager) gave us a letter confirming their call to us. I have written to them disputing this. It is call disinformation in the corporate world.\u201d
Asked to respond\u201a FNB told ConsumerLIVE: \u201cNothing further to add.\u201d
Ironically\u201a Miles opened his safety deposit box account with FNB Randburg more than two years ago\u201a and was contacted in September to say that he had not been debited for the rental.
\u201cIn the almost two years that I unwittingly didn\u2019t pay I never once received any sort of notification or demand from the bank whatsoever\u201a\u201d he said.
\u201cRather than collect the contents of the box\u201a my wife and I went in at the end of November to pay up the arrears – about R5000\u201a and we\u2019d been paying about R230 a month since.\u201d
And now the box and its contents are gone – his late mother\u2019s charm bracelet\u201a all his wife\u2019s valuable jewellery\u201a expensive watches\u201a valuable coins\u201a many gold and silver coins and R160 000 in cash.
\u201cIt\u2019s a massive blow to us – basically our life\u2019s savings. We decided on the safe box in case we had a home invasion and they forced us to open the safe.\u201d
* For information about the FNB bank heist victims\u2019 support group\u201a contact Kelly Fraser on 083 287 8897 or e-mail: kellyfraser03@gmail.com.<\/p>\n