With the festive season spirit firmly in place, Lwandle police are urging stokvel members to be vigilant as they prepare to share their earnings.
In most townships, December or the festive season is synonymous with stokvel-members going around with lots of cash in their possession.
According to police, stokvel-related robberies are also on the rise during this time of the year.
As a precaution, police are urging stokvel members, particularly those who have been saving money through stokvel saving clubs or burial societies to avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
They said stokvel-related robberies and theft are prevalent this time of the year.
Police are urging all stokvel clubs to be proactive and adopt reasonable measures to safeguard their money.
“Instead of withdrawing large amounts of cash from the banks to pay stokvel club members, they should rather transfer the money into members’ bank accounts. Those members, who do not have bank accounts, should be encouraged to open bank accounts,” said Lwandle police spokesperson, Sgt Mthokozisi Gama.
Gama said stokvel clubs should be vigilant and take correct measures to safeguard their cash when making ATM withdrawals.
“They should not withdraw large amounts of money, especially after hours when the streets are quiet. Criminals are likely to be lurking around but rather use the ATMs at shopping malls or a bank tellers during business hours when it is safer and there are security officers on duty. There are safer ways to do transactions, such as internet transfers or mobile banking, instead of carrying large amounts of cash,” he warned.
- Refrain from making cash deposits of club members’ contributions on high-risk days (e.g. Monday after month end)
- Ensure persons depositing club cash contributions or making withdrawals are accompanied by another club member. The club must consider hiring security company to escort them to and from the bank.
- Always be vigilant of your surroundings at all times when visiting the banks for withdrawals and ensure that there are no bank followings after withdrawing money.
- A stokvel, savings club or burial society can arrange for members to deposit cash directly into the club’s bank account instead of collecting cash contributions
- Arrange for the club’s pay-out to be electronically transferred into each club member’s bank account or accounts of their choice