05 May 2014

Residents of Tutume will no longer have to commute to Francistown to do their banking, as Barclays bank has opened a mini branch in the village.

Villagers and small business owners welcomed the opening of the mini branch, saying it would bring banking services closer to them. Ms Ottilia Nyelesi, the manager of Nkome dress making, said the mini branch would save her the cost of travelling to Francistown to do her banking.

“I can now do all my banking in Tutume and I don’t have to travel long distances to Francistown. This will also give me enough time to interact with the bank employees and find out what services they have in store for me,” she said.

Ms Nyelesi added that she no longer had to incur the risk of getting robbed, as she was in the past forced to carry cash for deposits in Francistown. Ms Dineo Badi, a street vendor at Dagwi, said she learnt a lot about the products and services offered by Barclays bank after walking into their mini branch and making enquiries.

She said she now knows that banking is not only for the rich but also caters for small businesses. After receiving information from the bank, Ms Badi decided to open a bank account on which she deposits the proceeds from her vending business every day.

“I am happy because in the past I used to keep the money at home and ended up misusing it,” she said. Mr Thabo Phuma, who is employed in Tutume, said he is happy that a new branch has been opened in the village.

He said the mini-branch will help him save money as he will not have to withdraw large amounts of cash at once. “In the past I used to travel to Francistown to do my banking. To avoid having to make frequent visits to Francistown, I usually withdrew large amounts of money at once to keep in my house. I ended up misusing the money.

With the bank in Tutume I will not have to carry large amounts of cash, which will help me save more,” he said. While there are a few teething challenges like congestion and network problems, many residents are very happy with the new mini branch and are hopeful that it will greatly improve their banking and saving culture. Ends