The police have cautioned community members against carrying large amounts of cash, following a robbery in which a stokvel lost more than R140,000 of its savings to criminals.
It is reported that stokvel members were gathered at a home in Tsianda and Hamashau village when they were ambushed by two armed men, who locked the group in a shack before escaping with the money.
One of the stokvel members, Ms Thivhilaeli Ravele of Tsianda, said that on Saturday morning, they were paying out stokvel money to two of the members when, about 20 minutes later, two armed men arrived. The women were instructed to lie on the ground, and the robbers then took the communal money.
Ravele said they did not have a bank account and usually requested five people to act as treasurers, each holding a portion of the funds. She said she was still in shock over what had happened.
The police spokesperson for the Vhembe region, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, confirmed the robbery. He said the incident had taken place at around 9:30 a.m. "Two suspects appeared and ordered everyone to lie down. They then took all the money, and before fleeing the scene, they locked the group in one of the shacks," said Dathi.
He cautioned community members and business owners against carrying large amounts of cash or distributing stokvel money in hard cash. "This method obviously attracts criminals. Stokvel members are advised to use electronic funds transfers (EFTs) to minimise crimes of this nature," he said.
He also advised grocery stokvels not to withdraw large amounts before shopping. "Rather use a bank card to swipe after buying at supermarkets," he said. He added that when handling large sums of money, everyone should be treated with caution.
Anyone with information about the robbery can contact their nearest police station, call 08600 10111, or use the MySAPSApp.