By Staff Writer

Fraudsters are using Destiny Helpers International (DHI) to steal from desperate Zambians who want access to their savings held in frozen bank accounts, MakanDay has established.

Destiny Helpers is not operating after the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) froze its accounts. The Commission took the company to court demanding for over K1 million cash and other company properties be forfeited to the state because they are tainted assets.

Among the assets the DEC wants forfeited are accounts holding over US$18,700 and close to K1.1 million along with laptops.

The company is accused of defrauding more than 74,000 Zambians who were lured into a savings group with the promise of receiving grants worth more than 100% of membership fees. The case in court is ongoing.

But MakanDay has established that some fraudsters are making money from members with offers for help to access their savings held in frozen bank accounts once the court case is over.

It has also been established that the fraudsters are demanding to be paid transport money to travel to Lusaka to address members’ concerns.  

MakanDay has further found out that some members are paying fraudsters as much as K500 for lost or misplaced receipts.

When contacted, Mushota Malena who introduced himself as a representative of DHI clients accused MakanDay of being an agent of the DHI national director. 

“Before you come up with issues you need to investigate, you need to make sure that what you are talking about is true, as we understand (Sydney) Muyamba is the owner of DHI, and has been employing people to spread fake information so that he can disturb what we’re doing,” he said.

He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs, DEC, and even the Justice Ministry is aware of their work.

“If you ask this question to a real client, they will laugh at you, we have never charged any client, it is them who make some donations, and it is not even up to a K100, it is less than K50, so when you say that, I do not know what you are talking about,” he said.

But the DEC spokesperson Mathias Kamanga denied ever engaging anyone to collect receipts as the case is still in court.

“Let me put it on record that DEC has not asked anyone to collect receipts and money from DHI members because the matter is active in court,” he said.

A source who asked for anonymity told MakanDay that there is a group called Anti-Destiny Helpers International, which has four administrators.

She said WhatsApp groups have been created for DHI members in all the provinces.

“The group leaders are always asking for contributions for them to travel to Lusaka to represent the members,” she said. “People contribute K50, K100 or more as they claim they are not from Lusaka but the Copperbelt.”

When contacted for comment, one of the group leaders, Samuel Tembo denied ever collecting money from anyone.

But MakanDay has accessed one of the WhatsApp groups with 69 members where requests for payments are made and coordinated.

Agnes Tembo, a DHI member said her husband had to intervene for her to receive part of the money she had saved.

Ms Tembo said she had invested K1,500 in DHI between 2019, hoping to earn up to K6,500 after four months from the time she deposited the money.

DHI is yet to respond to MakanDay’s request for an interview and contact details of Mr Muyamba.

On linkedIn, DHI advertises itself as a group of thousands of philanthropists, from everywhere – an organisation “that gives free capital to you, your family, your community or your company” and that the humanitarian grants are not supposed to be paid back.

“We are Destiny Helpers all over Africa and in Zambia Destiny Helpers International is looking for people who have projects that need funding. We provide grants and non-loan funding to over 87 nations,” says the profile.

A check at the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA) show that Destiny Helpers International (DHI) is not registered in Zambia.

The records at PACRA show that Destiny Helpers Limited, not Destiny Helper International was registered on 05 May 2017 and its directors are Zambians – Lillian Namiye Munalula and Sydney Mwiiya Muyamba. Mr Muyamba is also registered as shareholder together with Roy Haapole Kanthengwe.

Its business address is registered as plot number 1178, Vubu Road, Emmasdale – Lusaka.