Hercules police have called on stokvel members to be more vigilant about their cash pay-outs as the year draws to an end and profits are shared.

Hercules police spokesperson Captain Bonginkosi Msimango said they would like to warn all social clubs to be vigilant when sharing their year-end profits and to avoid carrying large sums of cash.

Msimango said during this time of the year, stokvel members shared the money they have been saving all year.

“During this time of the year, a lot of cases relating to stokvel members being robbed are reported to the station.

“In some instances, you find stokvel members carrying more than R100 000 for them to buy groceries at wholesalers.

“Sometimes they are robbed of their money while they are on their way to buy groceries at these wholesalers. We would like to warn them to avoid carrying such large sums of money.”

Msimango said recently, a shack was burgled in Gomorrah informal settlement and an undisclosed amount of money was taken from the safe.

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“The money that was taken was stokvel cash that members have been saving for the whole year. We would like to call upon stokvel members to save their money in the bank and avoid saving it in their houses.

“Members of social clubs are also advised to either do electronic fund transfer (EFT) instead of sharing the money in cash. To those who prefer to share their money in cash, we would like to advise them to do it in a safe place.”

Tips on how to avoid being a victim:

– Do not share information of when and where you are going to share your stokvel dividends with anyone;

– Avoid hiring cars of people you do not know to accompany you to the bank;

– Avoid posting on social media about your check-ins and checkouts;

– Refrain from carrying large sums of money; and

– Be careful of stokvel members who are in arrears on their savings, some may have ill-intentions.