Mpumalanga SAPS cautions public to safeguard their savings this festive season

The festive season is at hand, and the Mpumalanga SAPS urged members of the public to guard against criminals who are eager to do whatever they can to get hold of their savings.

Members of social clubs and other similar groupings gear up to share the large sums of money they saved throughout the year. Sadly, during this period (like in the past years), when the money is shared or immediately thereafter, perpetrators often pounce on their victims.

As a result of such incidents, the SAPS continues to advise the public against carrying large sums of cash for the purposes of sharing, but rather consider other means such as electronic transfers, though one may desire to have a feeling of some kind of excitement when physically carrying large sums of cash in one’s hands.

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However, this trend often puts them in a vulnerable position of being targeted by criminals. Having cash transferred electronically into one’s bank account may assist in preventing incidents of similar robberies that were previously reported in the past years in relation to stokvels.

In one such incident in the Dingindoda Section in Mshatsa near Masoyi on December 10, 2022, just before midday, a nurse, Jabulile Mdluli (30), was shot and killed by a suspect who attacked her during the time when the women belonging to a stokvel gathered in a certain house to share the money among themselves. They were reportedly robbed of their cash when two armed suspects showed up.

Some other practices by members of these clubs may also pose a danger to them. These include withdrawals of large sums of money to purchase groceries. It is advisable to make a quotation of what needs to be purchased from the retailers, then make electronic transfers instead of paying in cash.

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It is possible that some of these robberies could be well orchestrated by greedy people who may join the stokvels with the intention to connive with criminals to rob their fellow members. The intention of alerting the public about the matter is not to discourage them from forming these groups to save money, but to encourage them to do that safely, safeguarding their hard-earned cash.

The Mpumalanga SAPS management urged community members to be vigilant and refrain from sharing information that might work against them, compromising their safety and that of their properties. If need be, people should think twice before blurting out their acquired personal belongings to the whole world.