An elderly social grant beneficiary has spoken up about the ordeal they endured when three armed men stormed the Kraaifontein post office and held staff at gunpoint before they fled with an undisclosed amount of money.
The Kraaifontein resident said: “Three armed men entered the premises demanding everyone lie on the floor, before forcing employees to give them money, then running out.
“Matters got worse because we opted to use ATMs in stores but couldn’t withdraw money. Other people lost their cards when they inserted them in the machines,” she said.
The incident happened on Monday, and just two hours later, the Maitland post office was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money when three armed men entered the facility.
Police could not confirm whether the same trio is responsible for both robberies.
Acting chief executive of South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Abraham Mahlangu, said:
“The grant money has been reversed into the affected beneficiaries’ accounts and is now available for withdrawal. Sassa is working with all relevant stakeholders on its value chain to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future.”
“We would like to sincerely apologise to the affected beneficiaries and their families for yesterday’s disruption in grant payments,” he said.
Post Office spokesperson Martie Gilchrist said the Maitland office reopened yesterday but Kraaifontein remained closed.
“We have seen an increase in robberies since the migration of Sassa beneficiaries’ grants to the post office. Security measures were put in place and we are currently upgrading our security. Offices in high-risk areas will be addressed first.”
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