A heartbreaking incident has left a Limpopo family in distress after 68-year-old **Gogo Emeli Shakoane** was admitted to hospital following a severe spike in blood pressure. The medical emergency occurred just days after she fell victim to a **Black Friday scam** at a local Shoprite store.
According to family members and eyewitnesses, the elderly woman had gone to the store last Friday as part of a group of six women tasked with buying groceries for their stokvel. Gogo Emeli was entrusted with **R4 300**, specifically allocated for the purchase of **22 boxes of Sunlight washing powder**. The other members had their own shopping lists as previously agreed within the group.
While shopping, Gogo Emeli was approached by an unknown man who claimed to be a Shoprite employee. He reportedly wore a Shoprite T-shirt hidden under a jacket, explaining to her that he kept the jacket on because it was cold inside the fridges. The man allegedly convinced her that he could give her **30 boxes of Sunlight** for only **R3 000**, claiming he had access to extra stock at the back of the store.
Believing she was getting an exceptional bargain, Gogo Emeli agreed to the deal.
In her statement to the police, she explained:
*“When the boy approached me, I believed him because he looked like one of the workers. When he told me about 30 boxes for that amount, I immediately thought it was a blessing. I gave him the R3 000, and he told me to wait outside near the backdoor where he would bring the boxes.”*
Unfortunately, the man never returned.
Store management later reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that the suspect exited the store through a different door immediately after taking her money. They also confirmed that the man is **not employed** by the store, leaving police with limited leads.
The situation worsened on Sunday night when members of the stokvel visited Gogo Emeli’s home to demand the return of the lost R3 000. Family members revealed that the confrontation deeply affected her, causing her blood pressure to spike dangerously. She collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where she is currently receiving treatment.
Her last-born child confirmed her condition, stating that the stress from the confrontation triggered the attack.
Her grandson, **Bophelo**, who is a therapist, expressed disappointment at the stokvel members’ behaviour.
*“Those stokvel women will get nothing from Gogo. Last year, she was nearly robbed at the robots, and I told them to remove her from the stokvel because she is too old for this. She has no reason to be handling such money,”* he said.
Bophelo also revealed that Gogo Emeli has **over seven grandchildren** who support her financially every month, in addition to her social grant. He insisted that she does not need to engage in stokvels or heavy grocery shopping at her age.
The family is now focusing on Gogo Emeli’s recovery while urging the community to be vigilant during busy shopping periods, especially when criminals take advantage of elderly shoppers. Police investigations into the scam are ongoing.
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