28 Jan 2014

Residents of Letlhakeng and the surrounding areas will breathe a sigh of relieve following a decision by First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) to re-install the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) that it removed late last year.

In response to a BOPA questionnaire, the FNBB director of marketing and communications, Ms Bomolemo Selaledi said the ATM was removed to replace it with the more modern slimline that would allow customers to buy airtime, transfer money between accounts and pay beneficiaries, among other activities.

“The slimline ATM is an innovative touch screen ATM that is installed in retail spaces and it does not dispense cash. A customer prints out a receipt to get cash at the selected retailer’s till. This also gives the customer added security when transacting,” she said.

Even though the initial ATM was removed late last year and was yet to be replaced, Ms Selaledi was adamant that it was not much of an inconvenience as the other ATM would be installed before the end of this month.

“In fact, it is one way of continuing to provide innovative services to our customers. FNBB is always looking for new ways to improve the customers’ experience and the bank believes that this new slimline ATM will further bridge the gap between urban and rural areas whilst offering customers great experience,” she said.

The removal of the ATM by FNBB had raised concerns especially among civil servants as they now had to travel as far as Molepolole, a distance of about 60 km to access a reliable ATM.

One of the civil servants, Mrs Sophie Letsholo said lack of an ATM in the village forced them to keep money in bulk at home, which was risky apart from the fact that it also led to the misuse of their hard earned salaries.

“When you have a bulk of money with you in the house you are bound to buy things that you do not necessarily need, which will be a waste,” she said. The Letlhakeng ATM serviced a wide range of villages, some of them as far as 100 km.  ENDS