STANDARD BANK EXTENDS ATM SERVICES TO NGWENYA

By Hlengiwe Ndlovu

STANDARD Bank Swaziland yesterday opened its first Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at Ngwenya border post.

This is the only ATM in the area. Over the years, people travelling to South Africa and those entering the country were faced with the challenge of the absence of a financial services provider at the border post. They were expected to travel all the way to Mbabane to get access to a banking facility. The ATM will service the Ngwenya community, tourists as well as the public, which uses the border post as an exit point to South Africa.

Standard Bank's Head of Marketing and Public Relations Sammy Dlamini said the convenience of customers was critical to the operations of the bank. He said the institution was willing to do anything to cushion the needs of their customers and to make banking convenient to them. "Broadening our ATM network to critical areas such as Ngwenya has always been our mandate. We will continue to widen our horizons even to other areas so we reach out to people who are in the remotest areas," he said.

Dlamini explained that for a long time customs officials at Ngwenya and members of the general public had approached the bank with requests of an ATM at the area. He said customs officials were particularly worried with the fact that people entering the country tend to exhaust all their money in South Africa. As a result, by the time they reach the border, they would not have money to pay for their road tax and yet they are obligated to do so.

He said the feedback the bank is receiving from their clientele now that the ATM has been opened is impressive. "Customs officials at the border and members of the public are quite excited about this service. Members of the community at Ngwenya are particularly impressed with the fact that they no longer have to travel to town to get their money," said Dlamini.

He stated that Standard Bank Swaziland has the largest ATM network, by far in the country. "The institution strives to reach all corners of people in society. We want to reach out to the least affluent so that they are able to get their cash whenever they need to do so."

...bank cautious of bombings

Head of Marketing and Public Relations Sammy Dlamini says the bank is cautious and sensitive of the growing number of ATM bombing incidents.

He said the spate of bombings is a concern for all financial institutions in the country, hence the need to meticulously pay attention to such issues when installing ATMs. Responding to questions posed to him during the official opening of the ATM, Dlamini said the safety of customers when using banking facilities was always a priority to the bank. "We want to ensure that our customers are safe. This ATM has been conspicuously set in a bid to counter the common practice of vandalising and bombing our facilities," he said.