• Home
  • BUSINESS
  • Mufhiwa business activities declared illegal
Mufhiwa business activities declared illegal
Mufhiwa business activities declared illegal

Mufhiwa business activities declared illegal

Mufhiwa does not generate income through the sale of a product or any service to its members.
Phillepus Uusiku
STAFF REPORTER

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has concluded the investigation into the business activities of Mufhiwa Building Projects and found it to be illegal.

Mufihiwa activities contravene the provisions of section 55A of the Banking Institutions Act, 1998 (Act No. 2 of 1998), as amended, following engagements with the directors and duly authorised representatives of the entity, said Bank of Namibia’s deputy director for corporate communications, Kazembire Zemburuka.

Last year, the Bank issued a public statement in which it stated the business activities of Mufhiwa Building Projects constitute and resemble a pyramid scheme and directed promoters and participants to stop their operations in Namibia.

In the same statement, the Bank appealed to directors or duly authorised representatives to contact the Bank within a prescribed period from the date of issuance of the statement, in order for the Bank to consider the matter in terms of the provisions of the Act.

Accordingly, directors and duly authorised representatives contacted the Bank, and presented the business model of Mufhiwa Building Projects. Subsequently, the Bank made an assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Act, he said.

Why illegal?

The assessment has revealed that the business activities of Mufhiwa Building Projects constitute a pyramid scheme and contravene section as members and participants in Mufhiwa Building Projects are encouraged to recruit new members, upon a payment of a joining fee of N$200, with the promise that such members receive payments to have their home loans settled, or to purchase new houses, or to renovate their existing houses.

Mufhiwa Building Projects does not generate income through the sale of a product or any service to its members.

“The joining fee of N$200 is used to pay existing members and the directors or owners of the scheme. Therefore, as soon as the recruitment of new members stops all the members and participants in the scheme will not receive any payment and will lose their joining fee,” he said.

Thus, Mufhiwa Building Projects has been instructed to cease business operations in Namibia immediately and members of the public are instructed to stop participation in this scheme with immediate effect.

He urges the public to make the necessary enquiries from the Bank, about businesses with similar business activities before participating in such business activities. The Bank remains committed to protecting consumers from fraudulent pyramid schemes as mandated by law.

Comments

Namibian Sun 2024-04-19

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment

European Championships Qualifying: Southampton 3 vs 0 Preston North End English Championship: Southampton 3 vs 0 Preston North End Katima Mulilo: 17° | 34° Rundu: 17° | 34° Eenhana: 18° | 35° Oshakati: 20° | 35° Ruacana: 18° | 35° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 17° | 31° Omaruru: 19° | 34° Windhoek: 17° | 31° Gobabis: 18° | 31° Henties Bay: 17° | 23° Wind speed: 26km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:25, High tide: 13:40, Low Tide: 19:24, High tide: 01:48 Swakopmund: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:23, High tide: 13:38, Low Tide: 19:22, High tide: 01:46 Walvis Bay: 19° | 26° Wind speed: 36km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:23, High tide: 13:37, Low Tide: 19:22, High tide: 01:45 Rehoboth: 18° | 31° Mariental: 22° | 33° Keetmanshoop: 23° | 35° Aranos: 20° | 32° Lüderitz: 18° | 34° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 37° Oranjemund: 15° | 27° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 19° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 15° | 28° Maseru: 11° | 26° Antananarivo: 13° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 26° Maputo: 20° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 31° Cape Town: 16° | 21° Durban: 18° | 28° Johannesburg: 16° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 29° Lusaka: 18° | 28° Harare: 15° | 28° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.66 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.64 | USD to NAD 19.1 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.34 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.02 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.64 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 133.87 | USD to AOA 832.83 | USD to BWP 13.88 | USD to EGP 48.28 | USD to KES 132.98 | USD to NGN 1147.53 | USD to ZAR 19.1 | USD to ZMW 25.65 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73271.44 Up +0.38% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1531.99 Up +0.70% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13455.65 Up +0.53% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28332.65 Down -4.5% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 390.59/OZ UP +0.45% | Copper US$ 4.47/lb UP +1.25% | Zinc US$ 2 862.90/T UP 1.45% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.49/BBP UP +0.37% | Platinum US$ 930.17/OZ DOWN -0.0065 Sport results: European Championships Qualifying: Southampton 3 vs 0 Preston North End English Championship: Southampton 3 vs 0 Preston North End Weather: Katima Mulilo: 17° | 34° Rundu: 17° | 34° Eenhana: 18° | 35° Oshakati: 20° | 35° Ruacana: 18° | 35° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 17° | 31° Omaruru: 19° | 34° Windhoek: 17° | 31° Gobabis: 18° | 31° Henties Bay: 17° | 23° Wind speed: 26km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:25, High tide: 13:40, Low Tide: 19:24, High tide: 01:48 Swakopmund: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 30km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:23, High tide: 13:38, Low Tide: 19:22, High tide: 01:46 Walvis Bay: 19° | 26° Wind speed: 36km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:23, High tide: 13:37, Low Tide: 19:22, High tide: 01:45 Rehoboth: 18° | 31° Mariental: 22° | 33° Keetmanshoop: 23° | 35° Aranos: 20° | 32° Lüderitz: 18° | 34° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 37° Oranjemund: 15° | 27° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 19° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 15° | 28° Maseru: 11° | 26° Antananarivo: 13° | 25° Lilongwe: 16° | 26° Maputo: 20° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 31° Cape Town: 16° | 21° Durban: 18° | 28° Johannesburg: 16° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 29° Lusaka: 18° | 28° Harare: 15° | 28° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.66 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.64 | USD to NAD 19.1 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.34 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.02 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.64 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 133.87 | USD to AOA 832.83 | USD to BWP 13.88 | USD to EGP 48.28 | USD to KES 132.98 | USD to NGN 1147.53 | USD to ZAR 19.1 | USD to ZMW 25.65 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73271.44 Up +0.38% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1531.99 Up +0.70% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13455.65 Up +0.53% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28332.65 Down -4.5% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 390.59/OZ UP +0.45% | Copper US$ 4.47/lb UP +1.25% | Zinc US$ 2 862.90/T UP 1.45% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.49/BBP UP +0.37% | Platinum US$ 930.17/OZ DOWN -0.0065