Durban – Two women and a man are set to appear again in the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court next month on charges of stolen property after they were found in possession of 50 South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards, 20 EasyPay cards, and R34 000 cash earlier this month.
The trio, aged between 20 and 46, appeared in the same court last Monday and were granted bail of R1 000 each, Sassa said.
Sassa KwaZulu-Natal welcomed the suspects’ arrests on June 3.
Sassa said all three accused would appear again at the Scottburgh Magistrate’s Court on Friday, July 29.
Sassa’s acting regional executive manager in KZN, Simlindile Jabavu, said: “We congratulate the law enforcement agencies who are involved in this case. We encourage the public to report similar cases they may be aware of to their nearest police station or alert Sassa on 0800 60 10 11.
“We believe this will serve as a deterrent to unscrupulous people who want to benefit illegally from government poverty alleviation programmes intended for the vulnerable.
“We wish to encourage our beneficiaries to consider using their own personal bank accounts to receive their grants. Our local offices have dedicated express queues to assist beneficiaries who want to change their payment methods,” Jabavu, said.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said on June 3 at 8.20am, a security official observed suspicious activity at an ATM in Roseneath, Umkomaas. Two women and a man were observed acting suspiciously at the ATM and the official decided to join the queue to monitor them.
The suspects were observed with numerous Sassa cards and bank cards that they were using to withdraw cash.
Gwala said the suspects realised they were being watched and fled in a vehicle. Police officers from Umkomaas were contacted and the vehicle was monitored.
“The suspects moved to another ATM and the vehicle was spotted in the parking area. The suspects were spotted withdrawing and transferring money at the ATM. As they returned to their vehicle, the police were waiting for them,” Gwala said.
“Three suspects aged between 25 and 45 were found with 50 Sassa cards, 20 EasyPay cards and R34 000 cash. It was established that the suspects had transferred R360 000 into a private bank account.
“All three suspects were placed under arrest for possession of stolen property. More charges are expected to be added to the charge sheet,” Gwala said.
Daily News