Frank Maponya
Frank Maponya
An ATM was blown up by six armed men who made off with an undisclosed amount of money in Limpopo this week.
This brings to five the number of ATMs blown up in the province since the beginning of this year.
The police have vowed to pull out all stops to curb the escalating number of ATMs being looted.
The latest incident was at Kgobokwane village, near Dennilton, at about 2.30am.
Police said the six men approached a security guard at the Mmamahlodi Bar Lounge with guns and forced him to open the gate.
Patrick Tagishi Kgwedi, 36, was the guard on duty at the time.
Superintendent Patty Khumalo, police spokesman in the Capricorn district, said the six men allegedly dragged Kgwedi to the outside toilet where they tied his hands with a piece of rope.
They went into the bar lounge and blew up an Absa ATM with a yet-to-be identified detonator, said Khumalo.
"It is disgusting to learn that poor communities who are stuck without transport in rural areas are being robbed of an opportunity to have easy access to their money near where they live because selfish thugs only worry about filling their own pockets," said Khumalo.
She said the police would leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators.
She said no arrests had been made in connection with the blast and the police are appealing to anyone with information to contact the Dennilton police station on 013-983-0172 or their toll- free number 08600-10111.
In January thieves blew up an ATM at a filling station in Lwamondo outside Thohoyandou.
The would-be thieves couldn't get any money from the machine and two suspects were arrested.
This was followed shortly afterwards by a blast in the GaMaphalle village in Bolobedu, where three men blew up an ATM and made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Another blast took place in Zebediela a week later, and the other in Apel a few days after that.
No stopping ATM attacks in Limpopo
Frank Maponya
Frank Maponya
An ATM was blown up by six armed men who made off with an undisclosed amount of money in Limpopo this week.
This brings to five the number of ATMs blown up in the province since the beginning of this year.
The police have vowed to pull out all stops to curb the escalating number of ATMs being looted.
The latest incident was at Kgobokwane village, near Dennilton, at about 2.30am.
Police said the six men approached a security guard at the Mmamahlodi Bar Lounge with guns and forced him to open the gate.
Patrick Tagishi Kgwedi, 36, was the guard on duty at the time.
Superintendent Patty Khumalo, police spokesman in the Capricorn district, said the six men allegedly dragged Kgwedi to the outside toilet where they tied his hands with a piece of rope.
They went into the bar lounge and blew up an Absa ATM with a yet-to-be identified detonator, said Khumalo.
"It is disgusting to learn that poor communities who are stuck without transport in rural areas are being robbed of an opportunity to have easy access to their money near where they live because selfish thugs only worry about filling their own pockets," said Khumalo.
She said the police would leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators.
She said no arrests had been made in connection with the blast and the police are appealing to anyone with information to contact the Dennilton police station on 013-983-0172 or their toll- free number 08600-10111.
In January thieves blew up an ATM at a filling station in Lwamondo outside Thohoyandou.
The would-be thieves couldn't get any money from the machine and two suspects were arrested.
This was followed shortly afterwards by a blast in the GaMaphalle village in Bolobedu, where three men blew up an ATM and made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Another blast took place in Zebediela a week later, and the other in Apel a few days after that.
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