Four armed robbers are still at large after robbing a local post office of an undisclosed amount of cash that was meant to pay workers' wages.
Four armed robbers are still at large after robbing a local post office of an undisclosed amount of cash that was meant to pay workers' wages.
Shocked staff of the Siphiwo Mazwayi Post Office in Joza had to leave empty-handed on Tuesday 15 October after the robbers struck.
Speaking to Grocott's Mail shortly after the incident in the morning, despondent workers said they couldn't believe what had happened right in front of them in broad daylight.
They stood helplessly in front of the post office as police officers interviewed eyewitnesses.
Workers said they suspected it was an inside job because the four men seemed calm and moved with purpose.
They said they go to the post office around the middle of every moth to collect their monthly wages.
Eyewitnesses told Grocott's Mail that one man dressed in a grey tracksuit initially walked into the post office carrying a R20 note and went to make a phone call behind the building.
Shortly thereafter, they said, three men drove on to the premises in a white Polo hatchback and parked the car to face the gate.
"Three men got out of the car. One stood next to the car with a gun in his hand and one walked into the post office together with the first guy, while the driver stood at the door," said one of the workers.
The first man, according to witnesses, shouted "clear" and ordered everyone in the post office to lie on the ground, before breaking the teller's glass and taking the money.
Women standing outside the premises when Grocott's Mail arrived at the scene said they'd tried to stop a passing traffic officer and a police van driving in the area, but without any luck.
Eyewitnesses said the men were calm as they carried out the robbery.
"They did not fire any shots. If they wanted to shoot us they could have done so easily," one said.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender confirmed that a case of armed robbery is under investigation. "Four men fled with an undisclosed amount of money and allegedly drove towards Port Alfred," she said.
Workers complained that the Joza post office was isolated, adding that they've been urging management to employ security guards because they felt unsafe.
Around 11 customers who were inside the post office during the robbery were taken away by police officers.
