A day before robbers pulled an audicious robbery at the Bryanston Methodist Church, worshippers had gathered for a Rhona service Malihambe! — a thanksgiving where congregants pledged thousands of rands in offerings.
This is according to insiders who attended the church service at the weekend and witnessed pledges by churchgoers.
The service was held under the theme: “The devine message must be spread.”
On Monday night, robbers stole an undisclosed amount of money after chiselling their way to one of safes.
The heist, which lasted for three hours, went unnoticed in the quiet leafy suburb, where properties are behind high walls.
On the streets around the church, there are CCTV cameras but not at the church. Neighbourhood patrols by private security companies are a regular sight but security officers posted in residential homes and at the shopping mall nearby said they didn’t see anything untoward.
Just after 10pm, a group of 12 armed men stormed the church premises and held the security guards at gunpoint. They then disabled the alarm system and made their way to the vault.
In a letter to the congregation, the church said he saw 12 men arrived in three vehicles, threatened the guards, gained access to one of the offices in the lower office block and took a few items.
“They then disabled the alarm system and proceeded to break into the vault/strongroom area using heavy tools [angle grinders and jackhammers]. Several safes were damaged, and an undisclosed amount of money was taken, including one physical safe.”
The church, which has 5,000 members, said no one was physically harmed during the incident. “We are deeply grateful for God’s protection over our security personnel and staff members who were on the property at the time.”
According to an insider, a day before the brazen robbery, the church saw congregants pledging thousands of rand as a form of thanksgiving for Rhona.
The insider said there were several clusters within the church, all of which were given different financial targets to meet. “Some groupings had surpassed their targets, with one group reporting to have gone from R25,000 to R30,350,” said the churchgoer.
The congregant further told Sowetan that some treat the Rhona service as a competition, as large amounts of cash are pledged.
Some of the congregants include prominent politicians and celebrities.
“The church gives the groupings a target based on their last contributions. There are also big spenders in the church who compete among themselves,” said the insider.
Some groupings had surpassed their targets, with one group reporting to have gone from R25,000 to R30,350.
— An insider
“I found out today [Wednesday] that we have a vault. Another interesting thing that makes us vulnerable is that every quarter we have a CFO who then comes on a big projector for transparency, and shows us how the books of the church are looking.
“They’d say how much was in the reserves and how much we have received in tithe, and how much has been put for the mission work. You don’t know that criminals are sitting there.”
During Sowetan’s visit to the church yesterday, a church leader refused to speak on the robbery saying the matter was in the hands of police. The guards, who were held at gunpoint, were prevented from speaking to Sowetan.
Pakamisa Mdutshane, who deals with properties and maintenance at the church, also declined to speak. He referred Sowetan to the church spokesperson, whose phone was off.
An official at the church would only say that the robbery was well-planned, and that “the money stolen was not worth the work they [robbers] put in”.
Another source told Sowetan the guards were tied up were visibly shaken and traumatised. “Even the guards that were not working were shaken as well because of what happened to their colleagues,” said the source.
The church has since provided counselling and emotional support to those affected.
In its message to members, the church said all their ministries and services will continue as normal in the weeks ahead.
“We do, however, encourage members to continue making use of EFT, SnapScan, or card payments for their giving, to help us minimise the need for holding cash on site.”
Sowetan
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.