I REGRET STEALING MY EMPLOYER'S US$23K : MAID

A maid from Entumbane suburb who is being held at Mlondolozi female prison after conviction for theft is regretting her actions, blaming herself for not setting a good example to her children and grandchildren.

Senzeni Ngwenya (62) was sentenced to five years imprisonment for stealing US$23 000 from her employer in 2021.

During an interview at Mlondolozi, the inmate said she worked at the place for a very long time, and her master developed trust in her. Her employer could tell her everything as she was viewed as part of the family and a mother to the family.

“I had been working as a maid at this house for a very long time and my boss and his wife ended up trusting me such that they could tell me more about their family and plans. They took me as their mother and advisor,” said Ngwenya.

Ngwenya said she never thought her mischievous actions could destroy the good relations with her master and family. She was never ill-treated by her employer and was paid well on time.

“I do not even know what got into me on this day that led me to act in such a manner. I can’t even complain about how I was treated and how I was getting paid,” said the inmate.

According to Ngwenya, her master left a large amount of money on the sofa, where she discovered it while cleaning the house and hid it outside the house.

Soon after Ngwenya’s employer realised that he had left some money at home, he returned and found nothing, and Ngwenya never admitted to having seen the money.

Ngwenya said they searched for the money in the house together with her master and nothing came out, which forced him to call the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for their assistance.

“My employer came and asked me if I had seen the money anywhere in the house, and I never revealed that I was the one who took the money and went on to help search for the money,” she said.

Ngwenya said with so much excitement that she had found such an amount of money. She went on to buy building material, luxury items and a commuter omnibus, which she gave to her son in Matshobana suburb, where he started drinking and splashing money, attracting the attention of the law enforcement agents.

Some people notified the police about the situation, which led to the arrest of Ngwenya and her son.

“I bought a commuter omnibus with the money and gave it to my son, who misused it going around bragging to the public who quickly tipped off the police,” she said.

Ngwenya said more investigations were carried out and she and her son were placed behind bars. She said some of the items were recovered.

“That is when I and my son got apprehended and our case was presented before the court of law. I told the court that I was the one who stole the money, not my son.

“I was found guilty and sentenced to five years imprisonment,” the inmate said.

During her stay in prison, Ngwenya realised all her mistakes and as a way to heal and clear all the bad memories she decided to be part of those doing rehabilitation programmes that include floor polish making, mat making, petroleum jelly making and earring making. B Metro

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