Honest local returns R25 000 to tourists

Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWSFLASH AND VIDEO - A Mossel Bay resident showed she was true to her name, which means "helped", when she quickly assisted in reuniting a group of Italians with R25 000 they had left behind in a holiday home.

Ncediswa Madela, who works as a cleaner at Point Village Guesthouse and Holiday Cottages, spotted a wallet packed with a variety of banknotes - many of them R200 ones - when she was in a cottage on Tuesday, 29 August. The isXhosa word, Ncediswa, means "assisted" or "helped".

The tourists had already checked out. "I went to change the linen," Ncediswa told the Mossel Bay Advertiser. "Then I saw this wallet. I thought the people must be stressed at losing their money, so I called my boss and said, 'There's a problem.'"

Her boss, De Waal Lubbe, replied: "What problem?" She explained the situation and he was able to call the leader of the tourist group immediately. They had not even realised they had left the money behind. Money contributed by all in the group was contained in the wallet.

Ncediswa said: "The rules at the guesthouse are that we should always hand in what we find in the rooms, so that is what I did."

The wallet contained R25 000.

The Italians had gone off shark cage diving, but returned as soon as they could to collect their money. The group's treasurer nearly got punched around the ears by group leader Laura Bonardi.

"I'm really happy to have the money," she said. She thanked Ncediswa profusely and gave her a big hug and a cash reward for her honesty.

Watch a video:

Explaining her loyalty, Ncediswa said it was owing to the fact that De Waal often asked the staff if they needed anything and said they should tell him if they required any help.

She said: "He told me the Mossel Bay Advertiser was coming to interview me. I said I couldn't speak to the Advertiser because I had to go to the clinic but he told me he would take me to the clinic."

The Italian tourists with staff of the Point Village Guesthouse and Holiday Cottages, who are wearing white T-shirts. Ncediswa is handing over the wallet to the tourists.

Watch a video below.