Something very odd started happening here a few weeks ago. Every morning around 8:00, carers arrive and report for duty. They tend to walk in with the self-assurance of someone who has won the lotto and is here to collect. They walk confidently to reception and introduce themselves, announcing that they are ready to start their new contract… only to hear that we do not know anything about them, that they were not placed with us, and that there is certainly no contract of employment! This is becoming a far-too common occurrence, and it is awful to watch these individuals faces as it slowly dawns on them that they have been scammed.
Somewhere, there is an “employment agent” that advertises a guaranteed placement once potential employees have parted with their hard-earned money. Of course, once they arrive here and we tell them that they’ve been swindled, they do not believe us. Whoever this grifter is who takes advantage of these poor people, must be really good at what he does! They all think it was just a miscommunication and that maybe they were meant to go somewhere else. They all provide the same papers with the same fancy reference numbers thinking that we are mistaken, but the fact remains that we’ve never heard of them or this mysterious agent. When they finally believe us, they all phone the “employment agent” and we watch them as they listen to the pre-recorded message informing them that the phone number has been discontinued. Their faces drop, as the realisation and disappointment register and I am filled with such anger! How dare someone take advantage of another human being, desperate to do honest work?
The saying goes: “In a world of scams, trust is the most valuable currency”. It is all too easy to be scammed, and I wonder whether it’s because we are just so greedy, so desperate, or maybe, just so hopeful, that we trust people when common sense actually should tell us that we shouldn’t. Scams thrive on clever tricks and illusions, but more than that, on our hopes and fears – the longing for work, love,wealth and health. While it is tempting to look for miracle fixes and shortcuts, it seldom works.
I was hooked on American news during the Elizabeth Holmes trial. I could not understand how she defrauded investors of R12 billion! Her company, Theranos, promised technology which could do hundreds of lab tests from a single drop of blood while patients waited. Of course, it could do no such thing. Holmes had no qualifications whatsoever after high school, no proper prototype and zero experience. She just had raw ambition and a talent for manipulating people into believing her promises. She also looked like a female version of Steve Jobs, so maybe that helped.
People are relentless when it comes to trying to scam me. I am not sure why my algorithm lures all sorts of prophets and sangomas but it does (and I can honestly say, I have never used either). Prophet Mathapelo has received my e-mail address in a “holly vision” and plans to assist me with his divine powers because “evil ones are back biting you and smiling around you, but they don’t mean it they are just putting on mask faces and pretending to love you.” Prophet Hosea faithfully emails me each Monday morning. He also seems to have weekly visions of me and my “big challenges of jealous people” and he knows that “there is a lot of wealth God has waiting for me.” Prophet Mathapelo will get rid of an “evil shadow roaming around my destiny and see all my enemies in a mirror.” I am not sure what he will do once he sees them in the mirror, but for a small fee of R2500 I am sure I will find out. Prophet Elilja Kitaka, as well as Prof John Njuba (traditional healer from Midrand, Limpopo,) also offer their services to me regularly. I did enjoy it when Dr Ngunu offered me an array of options he can deliver, from winning court cases (“We are here to help win the case against anyone, have charges against you dropped and even get you released from prison”) penis enlargement (“Don’t lose your home because of poor bedroom performances”) abortions (spiritual and physical) and, my absolute favourite; help with winning big tenders (“Don’t look further, we shall help you win the tender that you need”).
These guys scam people all the time and I’m not sure whether they make a lot of money, but what they do is criminal. They must make enough to keep going with the relentless advertising. You might forgive them for taking advantage of someone looking for a “lost lover” to be returned “in 24 hours,” but think of the people who lost their lives at Marikana in 2012 when a sangoma performed a ritual on the hill where strikers gathered, dishing out muti to make them believe they could withstand police fire. The miners charged straight into lines of police, killing 34! In Durban, a syndicate of thieves believed they were invisible after a healer assured them cameras could not film them if they took his expensive muti. Imagine their surprise when they were arrested with plenty of incriminating evidence on CCTV! There are many horror stories about people with albinism who get murdered as their body parts sell to the highest bidder to make muties, and the killers feel no guilt because many believe these people are born with no souls!
It’s not just individuals being duped – entire systems are bleeding from deceit. Just look at these numbers:
- 10-15% of all medical aid claims in SA are fraudulent and annual losses amount to between R22 – 30 billion !
- Banking fraud is between 2.7 and 3.3 billion with AI driven scams (phishing, deepfakes and digital banking fraud) on the rise.
- Tender (procurement) fraud is estimated at R27 billion a year. (What makes me very sad is that as a direct result of tender fraud, at least 76 000 jobs are lost every single year).
- R125 million is lost to romance scams, which adds up to 40% of all reported scam losses. How desperate are we for love?
According to the SAPS, fake employment agencies and job offers regularly scam applicants out of thousands of rands in “registration” or “placement” fees. In one series of scams, more than R150,000 was lost by victims in just a few reported cases.
My heart broke for one of the carers who arrived at the lodge this week thinking she was starting a new career. She told us that she sold her fridge to pay the placement fee. Her dreams were completely shattered and she was devastated. Matthew Henry said, “To rob any man is an evil and an injurious thing, but to rob the poor is cruel and barbarous”.
In this country where peddlers of fortune lurk around every corner, the price of trust has soared beyond measure. I think there is no clearer demonstration of trust than our patients and their families trusting us to care for them when they are most vulnerable. The bond between a bed-bound patient and a carer is tangible. They trust us to turn them, feed them and bath them with dignity. An orthopaedics patient taking their first unsteady steps knows the carer is only a step behind if they should fall. A chemo patient knows that we are there when nausea and neuropathy floors them. Families know that their loved ones rely on us to do the loving when they can’t and to step in the dark, lonely hours to keep vigil – to bear witness of lives when no one else can.