Johannesburg - The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC),
is concerned with the number of bank clients that fall victim to cash robberies
daily.
According to SABRIC, These incidents increased by 4% from
2015 to 2016, with 695 incidents reported so far in 2017. Bank client cash
losses for 2017 from January to June, amounted to R21 million.
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These incidents are not just in urban areas, but also happen
in rural areas across South
Africa. The Eastern Cape saw the largest increase (48%)
from 2015 to 2016. From 2017 January to June, Gauteng
has shown the highest number of incidents (382) followed by KwaZulu-Natal,
North West, Mpumalanga, Western
Cape, Limpopo, Eastern
Cape, Northern Cape and the Free State.
During the period of 2014 to June 2017, SABRIC recorded 27
fatalities and 69 injuries due to cash robberies.
Kalyani Pillay, CEO of SABRIC said:” It is shocking that
bank clients, who are the victims of these crimes, are killed and injured
during these robberies. This is why we encourage bank customers to find safer
ways to transact instead of carrying large amounts of cash.”
Not only do these criminals target individuals, but they are
also target business owners who deposit or withdraw large amounts of cash.
Stokvels are also at risk. From 2014 to June 2017, 50
Stokvel robbery incidents were reported, with 82% of incidents occurring during
November and December 2016 due to the festive season. Of these incidents, 54%
occurred in Gauteng and 24% in KwaZulu-Natal.
She said bank clients to be vigilant about paying attention
to their surroundings, even when inside a bank.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE