Rant: banks & law in South Africa
Discussion
Apologies in advance.
So, my wonderful government has decided that to counter money laudering, all bank account holders must prove where they live. Failure to doso will result in your account being frozen. It happened to me today.
They will accept some of the following, depending on your particular bank: telephone bill, utility (lights & watre) bill, mortgage in your name, two or more retail bills, a signed affidavit from your landlord, a letter from your educational institution if they provide housing, a letter from your tribal chief, a TV licence, a tax return with that residential address on it, car licence.
My situation is: all my mail goes to a PO Box, I rent & have no mortgage, my landlady lives hundreds of miles away, I don't own a TV, my car is off the road and has been for years - primary transport is the vehicle in my girlfriend's name, I don't have a telephone (landline), I have a prepaid cellphone (no contract).
Exactly how do these geniuses expect me to prove where I live? I'll tell them, show them or ask them to look at the address I supply as reference every month when I transfer the rent money, but those are not acceptable. Instead they go and essentially impoverish me for a period until I can figure out a solution (which will probably involve taking a bank official by the ear and leading him or her to my humble abode & making it a cuppa tea or coffee!) - and this the day before my girlfriend's birthday (I have booked her into a beauty clinic for some pampering tomorrow too). And Saturday we're taking friends out for birthday din-dins.
Oh, and of course they froze it before I got supper or put petrol in the tank. Bastards.
The worst thing about all this is that it's *meant* to stop money laundering. As if this will do anything to the criminally inclined anyway - it only makes innocents suffer and worse, assumes everyone guilty until proven innocent (or something quite similar in principle).
ok, and c a l m . . .
So, my wonderful government has decided that to counter money laudering, all bank account holders must prove where they live. Failure to doso will result in your account being frozen. It happened to me today.
They will accept some of the following, depending on your particular bank: telephone bill, utility (lights & watre) bill, mortgage in your name, two or more retail bills, a signed affidavit from your landlord, a letter from your educational institution if they provide housing, a letter from your tribal chief, a TV licence, a tax return with that residential address on it, car licence.
My situation is: all my mail goes to a PO Box, I rent & have no mortgage, my landlady lives hundreds of miles away, I don't own a TV, my car is off the road and has been for years - primary transport is the vehicle in my girlfriend's name, I don't have a telephone (landline), I have a prepaid cellphone (no contract).
Exactly how do these geniuses expect me to prove where I live? I'll tell them, show them or ask them to look at the address I supply as reference every month when I transfer the rent money, but those are not acceptable. Instead they go and essentially impoverish me for a period until I can figure out a solution (which will probably involve taking a bank official by the ear and leading him or her to my humble abode & making it a cuppa tea or coffee!) - and this the day before my girlfriend's birthday (I have booked her into a beauty clinic for some pampering tomorrow too). And Saturday we're taking friends out for birthday din-dins.
Oh, and of course they froze it before I got supper or put petrol in the tank. Bastards.
The worst thing about all this is that it's *meant* to stop money laundering. As if this will do anything to the criminally inclined anyway - it only makes innocents suffer and worse, assumes everyone guilty until proven innocent (or something quite similar in principle).
ok, and c a l m . . .
zaktoo said:
Apologies in advance.
My situation is: all my mail goes to a PO Box, I rent & have no mortgage, my landlady lives hundreds of miles away, I don't own a TV, my car is off the road and has been for years - primary transport is the vehicle in my girlfriend's name, I don't have a telephone (landline), I have a prepaid cellphone (no contract).
Hmmm... are you a professional hitman in the mould of Carlos the Jackal or a less well known fugitive from justice?
sparkythecat said:
Apologies in advance.
My situation is: all my mail goes to a PO Box, I rent & have no mortgage, my landlady lives hundreds of miles away, I don't own a TV, my car is off the road and has been for years - primary transport is the vehicle in my girlfriend's name, I don't have a telephone (landline), I have a prepaid cellphone (no contract).
Hmmm... are you a professional hitman in the mould of Carlos the Jackal or a less well known fugitive from justice?
Well obviously one or the other. I mean, only criminals use PO Boxes or rent, right? ;-) As for everything else, I get by just fine with what I have and have not...
Ciao
Zak
PS I am quite probably not a hitman as as far as I am aware, my bank manager still breathes tonight...
sparkythecat said:
PS I am quite probably not a hitman as as far as I am aware...
Just on the off chance you might be. Can you give us a quote to take out this chap?
Man, does he have a small man-thing? What's with the Sword of Over Compensation? (with apologies to the eBay dude from yesterday)
zaktoo said:
Apologies in advance.
So, my wonderful government has decided that to counter money laudering, all bank account holders must prove where they live. Failure to doso will result in your account being frozen. It happened to me today.
They will accept some of the following, depending on your particular bank: telephone bill, utility (lights & watre) bill, mortgage in your name, two or more retail bills, a signed affidavit from your landlord, a letter from your educational institution if they provide housing, a letter from your tribal chief, a TV licence, a tax return with that residential address on it, car licence.
My situation is: all my mail goes to a PO Box, I rent & have no mortgage, my landlady lives hundreds of miles away, I don't own a TV, my car is off the road and has been for years - primary transport is the vehicle in my girlfriend's name, I don't have a telephone (landline), I have a prepaid cellphone (no contract).
Exactly how do these geniuses expect me to prove where I live? I'll tell them, show them or ask them to look at the address I supply as reference every month when I transfer the rent money, but those are not acceptable. Instead they go and essentially impoverish me for a period until I can figure out a solution (which will probably involve taking a bank official by the ear and leading him or her to my humble abode & making it a cuppa tea or coffee!) - and this the day before my girlfriend's birthday (I have booked her into a beauty clinic for some pampering tomorrow too). And Saturday we're taking friends out for birthday din-dins.
Oh, and of course they froze it before I got supper or put petrol in the tank. Bastards.
The worst thing about all this is that it's *meant* to stop money laundering. As if this will do anything to the criminally inclined anyway - it only makes innocents suffer and worse, assumes everyone guilty until proven innocent (or something quite similar in principle).
ok, and c a l m . . .
Good Evening(Morning)Zaktoo. This has got to be our fault over here in the U.S. somehow....I will work on an angle
..... >> Edited by jimbeaux on Friday 27th January 00:28
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