Two KZN post offices robbed hours before social grant payout for elderly

Suthentira Govender Senior reporter
Two KwaZulu-Natal post offices were robbed on Wednesday night on the eve of social grant payments for the elderly. File photo.
Two KwaZulu-Natal post offices were robbed on Wednesday night on the eve of social grant payments for the elderly. File photo.
Image: SA Post Office/Twitter

Two post offices in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands were robbed of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards, laptops and R120,000 on Wednesday night.

Sassa spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said the incidents in Glencoe and Howick post offices happened on the eve of social security grant payments for the elderly.

“R120,000 was stolen from the Glencoe post office, along with two laptops with grant application systems and Sassa payment cards.”

She said the agency was concerned “by the rising number of break-ins at post offices with the sole intention of stealing Sassa cards”.

“The Sassa cards have been designed to protect social grant beneficiaries from unlawful deductions, however there is an emerging trend or scam where beneficiaries' funds are withdrawn from their cards without their consent or knowledge.

“It is suspected that this involved duplication of beneficiaries' cards and then clearing out their accounts.”

The agency has appealed for anyone with information on the robberies to contact it or the nearest police station.

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