Brazen robbers target priests
THUGS have found a soft target in priests who live alone on church premises.
Now the men of the cloth are living in fear after the latest attack in Soweto.
On Sunday night three Roman Catholic priests were robbed at gunpoint at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Phiri.
Father Victor Ngwenya said he was forced to lie face down with a gun pointed at his head.
He said the attack happened around 9pm as he was about to go out through the kitchen door.
“I saw four guys with guns who then forced me back into the house.”
Ngwenya said they forced the other two priests to lie down and made him lie face down on the floor.
“They then took off my shoelaces and tied me with them and also tied the other two priests.”
According to Ngwenya, the thugs found their wallets and demanded their bank account pins.
“They said the others will go and withdraw money and if the pins are incorrect they will shoot us. While one of the men was busy with me, the three others vandalised the house. They took two laptops, bank cards, cellphones, a mini-pad and took all of my clothes,” he said.
“They covered me with a chasuble [a long garment worn by priests] so that I could not identify them. They punched me and stepped on me, demanding that I give them my iPad pin.
“Our safety is at stake but while my face was facing the floor, I prayed to God for protection,” he said.
Moroka police spokesman Captain Mpande Khoza said two cars were stolen but later recovered at Protea Point shopping centre.
“One of the priests gave the thugs a correct bank pin and an amount of R2 500 was withdrawn from his bank account,” said Khoza.
Police are investigating a case of house robbery and no arrests have been made.
Father Similo Mngadi of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said: “We [priests] are vulnerable and because we live alone the thugs target us. No matter how secure the place is, when a criminal knocks at your door pretending to be a person who desperately needs help, the priest will open up for them.”
Just last week the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Olifanstfontein, east of Johannesburg, was burgled of items said to be worth about R50 000.
A clock and candle holders were stolen from Sebo sa ka Lutheran Church in Sangweni Section, Tembisa.
Sowetan has previously reported that nyaope addicts were targeting churches.