Social media collection drive investigated
A social media influencer has come under fire for allegedly pocketing money he collecting for the building of a home for an 89-year-old uMhlathuze grandmother
A SOCIAL media influencer has come under fire for allegedly pocketing money he collected for the building of a home for an 89-year-old uMhlathuze grandmother.
Earlier this year 1KZN TV covered the heartbreaking story of Khakho Nxumalo, who lived in a one-bedroom mud house in Ntambanana that was on the brink of falling apart.
The story caught the attention of the Department of Human Settlements and uMhlathuze Municipality, who in August this year built and furnished a new home for the woman and her grandchildren.
Shortly after the story aired, the social media influencer, who is believed to be from the Eastern Cape, Themba Rumbu, shared a photo of the granny’s home on Twitter, on which he has 40 000 followers.
https://twitter.com/JustKatlee/status/1201448140412522496
He apparently raised close to R90 000 from a Back-A-Buddy campaign he started online.
The money, however, was not donated to the granny or towards the building of the home.
On his Twitter page, Rumbu shares numerous charity drives which he claims to be a part of.
uMhlathuze Communications Manager, Mdu Ncalane, said the municipality and the Department of Human Settlements have launched an investigation into the matter.
They appealed for Rumbu to come forward.
‘The City of uMhlathuze distances itself from the gentleman who claims to have built Gogo Nxumalo’s house.
‘The house was an initiative of the municipality and the Human Settlements Department, with support of the KZN Department of Social Development.
‘We have no knowledge of any other donor by this name. We urge him to give all the money he collected to the Nxumalo family.’
Since we on the topic of @ThembaRumbu.
A few months ago you started a GoFundMe account for some Gogo who leaved in a very bad conditional house. The fund account accumulated close to 70k. Excluding donations of materials such cement, etc.
Where is the house bhuti?
— Yellow 🌻 (@Greenthoughts42) December 2, 2019
Rumbu was outed when he tweeted a video of East London sangoma Anele Hoyana, who was murdered by farmer Fritz Joubert after she was accused of defrauding him.
In this case, Rumbu claimed to have been Hoyana’s cousin, until her family denied any relationship. This led to questions from tweeps regarding the Back-A-Buddy campaign and the money which was allegedly donated for Nxumalo’s home.
Responding to the questions, Rumbu tweeted a photo that was initially published by the KZN government and said the home was built and delivered.
He later tweeted that the minister is ‘busy doing things to build a new home’.
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