<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nCaptain Tania Helfrich, the spokesperson for the West Coast police district, said that people at a stokvel meeting in Citrusdal were robbed at gunpoint early on the morning of Monday 13 May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A stokvel is a popular invitation-only club of 12 or more people that serves as a rotating credit union or saving scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helfrich said around 04:00 a 32-year-old woman from Lesotho and other people were still at their meeting when the complainant went outside to the bathroom. There she was threatened by three robbers wearing balaclavas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were armed with firearms and took the woman\u2019s mobile phone and cash. They then demanded more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she refused one of the men hit her over the head with a firearm and forced her to go back to where the other people were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other members of the group were already lying on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The robbers fled with three mobile phones, R2 100 in cash, a music player and a portable cellphone power bank. No-one had been apprehended in connection with the robbery at the time of going to press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helfrich urges stokvel members rather to transfer the money electronically than withdraw huge amounts of cash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Stokvel Association of South Africa (NSASA) describes a stokvel as a type of credit union in which a group of people enters into an agreement to contribute a fixed amount of money to a common pool weekly, fortnightly or monthly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worldwide this is known as a rotating savings and credit association and is not unique to South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are, for example, known as Chama in Swahili-speaking East Africa, Tandas in South America, Partnerhand in the West Indies, Cundinas in Mexico, Ayuuto in Somalia, Gam\u2019eya in the Middle East, Tanomoshiko in Japan and Pandeiros in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Members receive a lump sum on a rotational basis, and they are free to use the money for any purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to NSASA, such contributions are usually made in cash, but several groups are beginning to deposit funds into member\u2019s bank accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other forms of stokvels include ones for the buying of groceries, to save, burial societies and investment clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some stokvels have constitutions that dictate the size of the contributions, when the accumulated money is to be paid out, and the roles and responsibilities of the members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Police on the West Coast have been warning residents against stokvel payments in cash because of the large sums involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":46763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"03b32bc8-0d76-4490-bb31-f34709270de9","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Alida Buckle","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-46761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
Stokvel members robbed | Weslander<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stokvel members robbed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Police on the West Coast have been warning residents against stokvel payments in cash because of the large sums involved.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1118\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alida Buckle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Weslander\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0\"},\"headline\":\"Stokvel members robbed\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":418,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2024\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stokvel members robbed | Weslander\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\",\"width\":1118,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Stokvels are urged to change from cash to electronic payments.Photo: Alida Buckle\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Stokvel members robbed\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/weslander-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Weslander\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/weslander\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/weslander_koerant\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.\",\"email\":\"weslander@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"022 713 1251\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0\",\"name\":\"Weslander\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Weslander\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/weslander\\\/author\\\/weslander\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stokvel members robbed | Weslander","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stokvel members robbed","og_description":"Police on the West Coast have been warning residents against stokvel payments in cash because of the large sums involved.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/","og_site_name":"Weslander","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","article_published_time":"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1118,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Alida Buckle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Weslander","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Weslander","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0"},"headline":"Stokvel members robbed","datePublished":"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/"},"wordCount":418,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2024","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/","name":"Stokvel members robbed | Weslander","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-16T11:54:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T14:58:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","width":1118,"height":1080,"caption":"Stokvels are urged to change from cash to electronic payments.Photo: Alida Buckle"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stokvel-members-robbed-20240515-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Stokvel members robbed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","name":"Weslander","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#organization","name":"Weslander","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/weslander-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Weslander"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/weslander\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/weslander_koerant\/"],"description":"Weslander has been the main source of reliable news for the West Coast (Weskus) for 53 years, earning the trust of generations of readers. With a strong community focus, the newspaper serves as a vital link between residents, local businesses, and public services. It\u2019s a go-to platform for hyper-local stories \u2014 the kind of news that often goes unnoticed by national outlets but plays a crucial role in everyday life. From school achievements and local heroes to municipal matters and regional developments, Weslander provides a voice to smaller communities, helping to connect people, raise awareness, and highlight the issues that matter most to them.","email":"weslander@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"022 713 1251","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/#\/schema\/person\/a4b49307d260a7144f84c7bd657be6c0","name":"Weslander","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/73d58dc64ef5e44cd2a7e99a0d5e29dc10e9039a24e82e731a9d9f100c17504a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Weslander"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/author\/weslander\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49712,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/police-warn-stokvels-to-eft-20231101-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":0},"title":"Police warn stokvels to EFT","author":"Weslander","date":"6 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Stokvels, an invitation-only club of 12 or more people serving as a rotating credit union or saving scheme, are very popular on the West Coast, but there have been cases where participants have been robbed.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92378,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/middelpos-up-in-arms-over-mququ\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":1},"title":"Middelpos up in arms over Mququ","author":"Weslander","date":"15 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Noluvu Ludidi The community of Middelpos is outraged over the return of Bathandwa Mququ to Middelpos Primary School as its finance clerk. Parents and community members gathered outside the school earlier this week demanding to know the basis for her return in light of a pending criminal investigation against her.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3177_12495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3177_12495.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3177_12495.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3177_12495.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_3177_12495.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49066,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/stay-vigilant-this-season-20231206-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":2},"title":"Stay vigilant this season","author":"Weslander","date":"11 December 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As the calendar year draws to a close, ushering in the festive season period, the police in the Western Cape, in line with the Safer Festive Season Operational Plan, is cautioning residents, shoppers and holidaymakers to remain vigilant at all times.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53684,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/w-coast-bikers-do-their-toy-run-20230222-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":3},"title":"W Coast bikers do their toy run","author":"Weslander","date":"27 February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On Sunday (19 February) the West Coast Motorcycle Association embarked on a round trip to police stations on the West Coast.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ce8da86a99cf48acb7569462045d97bd.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55797,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/ready-for-district-command-20220907\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":4},"title":"Ready for district command","author":"Weslander","date":"12 September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The newly appointed District Commander of the West Coast police district is excited about making a difference in the area.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0dc57930a3aa4a1c8923955345470dc7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55816,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/ready-for-district-command-20220907-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":46761,"position":5},"title":"Ready for district command","author":"Weslander","date":"12 September 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The newly appointed District Commander of the West Coast police district is excited about making a difference in the area.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/53b16f853eb84988bb58d9d6a8a9add7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Weslander","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46761"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=46761"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=46761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/weslander\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6c7f4079fa7440a38f3938fffed7a59b.jpg\" "\\"Stokvels")