Free State police spokesperson, Stephen Thakeng, says the accused, aged 32 and 37 years respectively, were traced and apprehended in the Welkom central business district mere hours after the robbery took place. The duo was travelling in a white Toyota Camry which was identified as the getaway vehicle for the suspects after it was spotted at the scene of the crime on Thursday morning. Whilst law enforcement has confiscated the vehicle in question and a tablet found in the car, Thakeng says the money that was taken from the post office has not been recovered. The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) confirms the money taken by the suspects amounts to R350 000.

The robbery - like all the others - coincides with the disbursement of grants by Sassa to beneficiaries. According to Sassa’s Free State branch, three armed and masked suspects disguised as police officers held staff at the post office at gunpoint on Thursday morning. The manager was forced to unlock the facility’s safe, and the accused grabbed the money. Sassa says their officials are being treated for trauma and the Wesselsbron post office is now closed until “further notice”. Grant recipients in the area are requested to cash out their money at other merchants or their local banks.

In mid-January 2022, two Western Cape post office branches were targeted by armed robbers within a 24-hour period. Whilst the Caledon and De Doorns Post Offices were held up and the robbers managed to flee the scene, arrests were swiftly made in this regard.

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