Thieves Posing As Covid-19 Health Workers Rob Checkers Of R200 000
A group of thugs pretended to be “COVID-19 inspectors” as they carried out an armed robbery at a Checkers outlet in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday.
IOL reports that the gang entered the supermarket at the Scottsville Mall on Wednesday morning, dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE), with lab coats mimicking that of healthcare professionals.
THE PERFECT DISGUISE
The men reportedly made off with an estimated R200 000 from the pension payout point at the store, leaving the would-be recipients of the cash in the lurch.
The pensioners were redirected to other pay points as the Checkers suspended payments, following the robbery.
https://twitter.com/NguLethu/status/1268129456746631169?s=20
The incident was the latest in a string of pay point robberies that have occurred across the country in the past year.
No shots were fired, and no casualties were reported in the Pietermaritzburg incident, which came just days after PPE intended for schools in KwaZulu-Natal went missing.
KwaZulu-Natal education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said on Monday that the circumstances around the disappearance of the equipment were still unclear.
“It is not yet clear whether the PPEs disappeared, were stolen, are missing or are being stored somewhere and were not signed for. We are working at tracing where they are and what happened to them,” he said.
-Muzi Mahlambi, KZN education spokesperson
The missing equipment was meant to be delivered to three districts within the province.
Education MEC Kwazi Mshengu said there were no funds to replace the PEE.
“The disappearance of these PPEs makes the preparations for the reopening of schools an elusive goal. The replacement of these PPEs will cost the department millions, money that the department does not have. This will have a serious impact on the reopening of schools. An investigation will also look at possible irregularities. In the meantime, schools are still expected to reopen on Monday,” he said.
-Kwazi Mshengu, KZN education MEC
