An elderly woman was robbed after she withdrew money from Shoprite on August 13.
“I don’t know if the men were following me. They found me next to a Muslim church in Umthambeka,” said the victim.
According to gogo Ruth Ncimesi, a man in his 30s was walking in the opposite direction and touched her before walking on.
She said another man approached her and asked her if she knew the man who had touched her.
She said she did not know the person.
Ms Ncimesi said the man who spoke to her claimed he was also touched by the man, who had apparently smeared a black petroleum substance on her.
She said there was a white car parked across the street which looked like a police car. The man suggested they ask for help.
“Two occupants were in the car and one of them flashed a piece paper which had a police emblem on it,” she said.
They told the gogo to get inside the car so they could chase the man who smeared the substance on her.
While in the vehicle, she was told the substance could cause a stroke and could make her money disappear.
The men then asked to spray her money with another unknown substance to prevent any misfortune.
They eventually found the first suspect who claimed the substance he used was a concoction made of fingers from dead people.
They then returned with the victim to fetch her bank card from her house.
Ms Ncimesi said when she entered the car with her bank card, she returned to her senses and slapped the man who had smeared the substance on her.
The gogo then tried to throw herself out of the car.
The suspects stopped the car, let her out and then sped off.
Later on, when she looked into her purse, her money was gone.
There were retail papers in a white envelope.
A person, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Tembisan the same thing happened to her on the same day.
“I told them that what they are trying to do won’t happen, in the name of the Lord, and they ran away,” she said.
She said the criminals are targeting elderly people who withdraw their grant money.
“I’ve heard of amasalamusi (magicians). I never believed in them but today it happened to me,” said gogo Ncemisi, who urged the community to be on the lookout for the culprits.
Gogo Ncemisi said she didn’t open a case because she didn’t know the criminals’ names. She also had no registration number for the vehicle.
The Tembisa SAPS is aware of such crimes and Captain Manyadza Ralidzivha said people should be careful about what they believe.
