The police in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, are in search of three men who allegedly robbed a woman carrying stokvel money. According to SowetanLIVE, the robbery is alleged to have occurred hours after members met for a brief meeting on how the money would be distributed among them.
STOVKEL MEMBERS ROBBED MONEY
IOL reported that the incident occurred on Monday night at a member’s residence. Provincial Police Commissioner, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said that preliminary investigations showed that the meeting started at approximately 15:00 and concluded at 19:00.
“Members of the social club left their homes after the meeting ended and left the victim with her teenage daughter.
“At about 10pm, three unknown male suspects instantly broke into her house and robbed a substantial amount of cash belonging to the social club and later locked the two victims inside one of the bedrooms before fleeing the scene,” Ledwaba explained.
TimesLIVE mentioned that Limpopo police warned residents not to carry large sums of cash around so they could avoid falling prey to criminals.
The police opened a house robbery case while the search for the suspects is ongoing.
TWO OTHER STOKVEL ROBBERY CASES
In the same province, stokvel members in Nyakeleng, outside Polokwane, were reported by Sunday World on 20 November 2024, to have been robbed of their stokvel money that was supposed to be distributed among them.
One of the victims, Mapula Rangata, said that she has suspicions that one of their members might have informed the robbers about their gathering. She said that when the four unknown men approached them demanding money, she saw that they already knew what they were there for.
“They had inside information, and obviously it came from one of us. I am suspicious that one of us sold us out. And one day the person’s identity will be revealed,” expressed Rangata.
In a third stokvel robbery case in the province, Scrolla.africa reported that in Tsianda village, a stokvel group lost more than R245 000 when gunmen showed up as the members were counting their money.
A distraught community member, Rachel Nemavheya, said that she had been saving R200 every month with the hope of buying Christmas clothes for her children.
“I’m devastated. Where will I get money for new clothes and school uniforms? This is so painful,” she expressed.
POLICE ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ELECTRONICS FOR MONEY TRANSFERS
Police have urged community members to familiarise themselves with using bank transfers to pay stokvel members.
The police spokesperson for the Vhembe region, Vuledzani Dathi, said that the method of physically sharing cash attracts criminals.
He says, “Stokvel members are advised to use electronic funds transfers to minimise crimes of this nature.”
What do you think Stokvel members should do to ensure they avoid being robbed?
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