E218 000 STOKVEL MONEY, CELLPHONES STOLEN

MANZINI – A businesswoman’s home was broken into by two thugs who stole stokvel money amounting to E218 000 and cellphones.

Stokvels are invitation-only clubs of people serving as rotating credit unions or saving schemes where members contribute fixed sums of money into a central fund on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. The incident happened at Timbutini at around 10pm on Saturday. Timbutini is situated on the outskirts of Manzini. It is suspected that the money was stolen by people who knew the woman and her trade. The woman is in the business of wholesaling. It was gathered that the money, which belonged to members of the stokvel that the businesswoman was part of, was shared among members on a monthly basis. Each month, the members hold a meeting around the Manzini Police Headquarters to borrow and share dividends. According to a relative, the businesswoman was in her house together with a helper who was in another room, when two men carrying a knife and a pickaxe stormed into the woman’s bedroom.

Noise

“It was raining and due to the noise from the splatters of the rain, she could not determine that the men were breaking the sliding door, as she assumed it was the noise from the wind,” said the relative. She further narrated that the men pointed the weapons at the businesswoman and demanded that she give them money. The relative added that the robbers noticed that there was someone else in the other room and soon went there and brought her to the businesswoman’s bedroom. It was mentioned that the businesswoman and her helper did not make mention of where the money was, and that was when they were covered with blankets as the armed robbers searched for the money. “The men said they did not want to do any harm to the businesswoman and the helper, but simply needed the money as they knew that it was there,” the relative said.

She said the pair of armed robbers searched the room until they found the sum of money in a space behind the headboard.  The relative stated that the men made a call and were heard informing the receiver to meet them with a car. The robbers then quickly left the house and they were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, according to the Royal Eswatini Police Service report, Mafutseni police are investigating an armed robbery case where a 52-year-old woman of Timbutini was attacked by two unknown men armed with a knife and a pickaxe, and robbed her of money amounting to E218 000 and cellphones valued at E7 000 while at her home at Timbutini.

Arrest

The report stated that there had not been any arrest yet and police were appealing to members of the public to help bring these suspects to book. “If you have information that will lead to the arrest of these suspects, please contact Mafutseni Desk Officer, Assistant Inspector Akhona Dludlu at 7626 0105 or dial the police emergency toll free line at 999/ 999,” reads in part the police report. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati warned members of the public to exercise caution with their monies, especially because the festive season, which was often characterised by many reported cases of money laundering and theft, was upon us. Vilakati mentioned that the police service, in collaboration with the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL), had launched a Global Awareness Campaign on cybercrime, in a bid to respond to the current cybercrime. Meanwhile, last Wednesday, E83 000 disappeared at OK Foods Logoba and its disappearance was discovered just before operations for the day came to an end. The money that went missing was said to be part of the daily sales.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: