Armed robbers pounced on congregants during a church service at the Emmanuel Community Church in Spring Place in Tea Estate, paramedics said on Friday.
Shocking CCTV footage of the robbery has emerged, with a gunman holding the pastor at gunpoint.
The armed man is then seen robbing the pastor of his valuables while he was preaching at the pulpit.
The thug is then seen unplugging a television set and walking out with it.
Prem Balram of Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) said around 25 people, including children were attending a church service on Thursday night.
“Reaction Unit South Africa received several calls from members of the congregation at around 8pm reporting that five armed robbers had just left the church after hijacking three vehicles and stealing several mobile phones and other valuables,” he said.
Balram said when officers arrived on scene they were told that the heavily armed men had locked children in the toilets while robbing the congregation of valuables.
“Reaction officers are currently searching for the three vehicles taken by the suspects,” he said.
He said the SAPS were informed and no one had sustained any injuries.
In a similar incident, mourners attending a funeral were robbed in a church parking lot in Overport Durban in January last year.
According to Pastor Desmond Kisten of Bethshan Church, he conducted the funeral service of a 95-year-old woman and had headed to the crematorium when the incident took place.
“It seems these four women had been talking in the parking lot when armed robbers travelling in a red VW Polo accosted them,” Kisten said at the time.
“They were assaulted and robbed of their belongings, which included jewellery, cellphones and bank cards,” he said.
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