A late-night armed robbery shook the Bryanston Methodist Church on Monday, October 27, after a group of men stormed the premises, held security guards at gunpoint, and broke into the church’s vault, stealing an undisclosed amount of cash.
According to a statement issued by the church to its congregation, the incident occurred shortly after 10 p.m., when 12 armed men arrived in three vehicles. The attackers reportedly threatened the guards, gained access to the church’s lower office block, and stole several items before disabling the alarm system.
“They then disabled the alarm system and proceeded to break into the vault/strongroom area using heavy tools such as angle grinders and jackhammers,” the church said in the statement. “Several safes were damaged, and an undisclosed amount of money was taken, including one physical safe.”
The robbers remained inside the church for over three hours before fleeing. The police were alerted immediately and have since launched a full investigation into the incident.
Church officials confirmed that no one was physically harmed, expressing gratitude for “God’s protection” over the staff and security personnel present during the ordeal. They added that counselling and emotional support were being offered to those affected.
Despite the traumatic event, church leaders said that ministries and services will continue as normal, but they urged members to switch to electronic forms of giving, such as EFT, SnapScan, or card payments, to minimize the need for cash storage on-site.
The incident adds to a disturbing trend of church robberies in South Africa in recent months.
In July, nine church members, including a pastor and elders, were held at gunpoint in Mpumalanga during an evening meeting. The suspects tied them up with cable ties and stole their phones, wallets, laptops, and car keys.
A month later, Mpumalanga’s MEC for Community Safety, Jackie Macie, urged churches across the province to strengthen security after three separate armed attacks on worshippers in one week.
More recently, in September, two armed men disrupted a prayer service at Zayoni Kingdom Catholic Church in Waterloo, north of Durban, holding up about 60 congregants. Witnesses said the suspects, dressed entirely in black, collected 46 mobile phones at gunpoint before escaping.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the Bryanston attack, warning religious institutions to remain vigilant as armed robberies targeting churches appear to be on the rise.