Stokvel social clubs have been targeted in a spate of house robberies ahead of the festive season in Limpopo.
Police said that criminals had specifically targeted clubs operated by women which involved large sums of cash.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at Paledi Mall in the Mankweng policing area on Tuesday‚ following yet another armed robbery outside Tzaneen where an undisclosed sum of stokvel cash was taken at gunpoint by a group of armed suspects.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the suspects were spotted in the Tzaneen CBD and a car chase ensued. One of the suspects was arrested at the mall.
“During the arrest‚ one unlicensed firearm was recovered and this suspect is still being processed to check his history with a possibility of linking him to the previous similar cases‚” said Ngoepe.
In a separate incident‚ a 54-year-old woman also fell victim to a house robbery after withdrawing stokvel money from an ATM. She was followed home by three men in Ga-Mamaila village‚ Tzaneen.
A third victim was a 42-year-old woman from Modjadjiskloof‚ Tzaneen. Six suspects broke into her home while she was asleep‚ stealing stokvel money and Christmas clothes that she had purchased for her children.
“Stokvel club members are advised to utilise electronic transactions to distribute their money instead of distributing cash to prevent these types of crimes‚” said Ngoepe.
Stokvel robbery spree in Limpopo
Police said that criminals had specifically targeted clubs operated by women which involved large sums of cash.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at Paledi Mall in the Mankweng policing area on Tuesday‚ following yet another armed robbery outside Tzaneen where an undisclosed sum of stokvel cash was taken at gunpoint by a group of armed suspects.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the suspects were spotted in the Tzaneen CBD and a car chase ensued. One of the suspects was arrested at the mall.
“During the arrest‚ one unlicensed firearm was recovered and this suspect is still being processed to check his history with a possibility of linking him to the previous similar cases‚” said Ngoepe.
In a separate incident‚ a 54-year-old woman also fell victim to a house robbery after withdrawing stokvel money from an ATM. She was followed home by three men in Ga-Mamaila village‚ Tzaneen.
A third victim was a 42-year-old woman from Modjadjiskloof‚ Tzaneen. Six suspects broke into her home while she was asleep‚ stealing stokvel money and Christmas clothes that she had purchased for her children.
“Stokvel club members are advised to utilise electronic transactions to distribute their money instead of distributing cash to prevent these types of crimes‚” said Ngoepe.
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