Stokvels told to be heedful of robberies

MORE than 20 stokvels have been robbed in the Motherwell cluster over the past month, with close to R1-million taken.

This was revealed yesterday when police issued a warning to stokvel owners to beef up security and cautioned users to be vigilant.

The savings clubs also needed to stop keeping large sums of money on site, police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said.

“Almost all the attacks happened in the Motherwell cluster,” he said.

“It appears that these robbers knew which homes kept large sums of money.

“In all the robberies, gunmen stormed the houses and shacks, knowing that they operated as stokvels.”

The Motherwell cluster of police stations include Motherwell, Kinkelbos, Swartkops, iKamvelihle, KwaDwesi, New Brighton, Kwazakhele and the Paterson region.

Beetge said some of the stokvel operations were inside church buildings.

The largest reported amount taken in one robbery was R100 000.

Asked if the robbers were believed to all be part of one gang, Beetge said it was unlikely.

However, evidence suggests the same gang was involved in more than one robbery.

“Some of the incidents were done by the same group, but others were done by another group of robbers,” Beetge said.

“But all the cases have been consolidated under the cluster detective commander to look for patterns and determine if these robberies are linked to a particular group.”

Motherwell cluster commander Major-General Dawie Rabie appealed to stokvel owners and users to consult with security companies and banking institutions to find a solution.

“It is a new year and organisers of the savings clubs are to start new cycles,” he said.

“Stokvel organisers need to put mechanisms and procedures in place.

“Workshops will be held with security companies and banking institutions.”