21 Sep 2016

Some residents of Bobonong are concerned about the shortage of Automatic Teller Machines (ATM’s) in the village.

Speaking in an interview with one of the residents, Mr Given Kolobe said Bobonong without its nearby villages has a lot of people, and that the village could not be served by two ATM’s.

He said people in the village were using one FNB ATM and one Barclays Bank ATM to get their cash.

Mr Kolobe said as Bobonong was a planning area there was a need to increase the number of ATM’S to at least five.

He said there were public servants performing different tasks in the village and different companies flocking the village to undertake projects, and that the ATM’s were experiencing overcrowding and long queues during pay day.

Mr Kolobe noted that the machines end up experiencing mechanical problems and no cash in a short time due to overcrowding.

He said some people end up travelling to  Selibe Phikwe to get their cash as the ATM’s in Bobonong take time to be fixed and filled with cash.

Mr Kolobe emphasised that it was critical for Bobonong to have more banks, saying it could give people a chance to deposit and withdraw cash as it was the epicentre of all villages in Bobirwa.

For his part, Mr Moseki Mmmabaledi said the shortage of ATM’s could encourage crime as some criminals may follow a person while going to get cash at the ATM’s since they know the bank that particular person was using.

He added that being followed by criminals while going to the ATM’s might also cause death, highlighting that if ATM’s were increased people could have options and interchange. 

Mr Mmabaledi said about 10 villages in Bobirwa were relying on Bobonong for ATM’s. Ends