In a statement from Bramley Police Station commander, Colonel Owen King, stokvels and residents who are withdrawing money are urged to be more vigilant.
The station’s spokesperson, Captain Molefe Mogodi said, “Bramley police requests the community to be vigilant during the festive season. This is the time when many stokvels or groups of persons who have organised themselves by saving money [as a group] which is cashed up during Christmas time, are being attacked, robbed and even injured.”
He stressed that the police are appealing to the community to be careful when sharing their savings.
“It has been previously reported that the person who is entrusted in withdrawing the money from the bank, arranges with the criminals to steal the money after which he or she informs the stokvel members that he or she has been robbed. Thereafter, such member takes all the money.
“Another modus operandi is when members are about to share their money, criminals pounce on them, threaten them and take their money.”
He highlighted that although many of these crimes have been well-planned, it is difficult to conclude whether or not members have been involved. The problem is that members, who spend the year saving up money for the festive season, could lose everything.
Similar robberies have taken place when construction workers are about to be paid. Mogodi elaborated, “The employer will go to the bank to withdraw the money in order to pay the workers. It happens on many occasions that the employer is followed on the way back from the bank and gets robbed when he or she arrives at to pay the workers.”
The police encourage the contractors and the stokvels to arrange with the bank managers to assist them by paying the money straight into each member or worker’s account.
Details: Police Crime Stop 08 600 10111.
Advice for stokvels
JOHANNESBURG – Stokvels and those who are drawing large sums of money from an ATM need to be more vigilant, according to the police.
