Victorious Worship Church assailants known as congregants
The criminals had previously broken into the church in June and stole pressure pumps and water pipes, only to return in July to make off with cutlery more pressure pumps.
POLOKWANE – Victorious Worship Church congregants and leader, Ephraim Kgabi declared to police that two of the four men who stormed into the church last Friday night during a service, and assaulted and stole from them at around 20:30, are known to them.
When the men ordered Kgabi and his congregants to lay down on the floor at gunpoint, he refused and was subsequently assaulted, Seshego police spokesperson, Ali Maluleke told BONUS.
Congregants, who attend the services at Makweya near Jerusalema in Seshego, were robbed of R700, cellphones, car keys, handbags, and a video camera worth R21 000. The assailants also took Kgabi’s vehicle.
“Community members have also assisted us as the suspects who are currently on the run, are known to them and from around the area,” Maluleke added. In July, the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Zone 1 was broken into for the third time in two months.
Criminals had broken into the church on June 27 and 28 and stole pressure pumps and water pipes, only to return on July 9 to make off with cutlery, a gas stove, two gas cylinders, and more pressure pumps, congregants told Bonus at the time. The church had fallen victim to crime in previous years too.
The crèche in the Puthaditshaba Lutheran Church yard in Zone 3 was the next target days later, when the perpetrators fled with cables and water pipes. According to information, these crimes have seen a sharp decrease since residents joined community patrols in the area.
