Residents of Soweto are frustrated and live in fear following several ATM bombings in their kasi.
In the early hours of Friday morning, 3 November, Noordgesig residents were woken up by a loud bang when an ATM at a Shell garage on Canada Road was bombed around 2.30am.
This specific place has been a hotspot for four ATM bombings in 2023.
Resident Mcfadden Varley said that he heard the explosion and gun shots during the early hours of the morning.
"It seems to be a trend at this garage around this time of the month. It was quiet for a few months but now it has started again," he said.
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Ward 29 councillor Brenda Dammie said: "We heard a loud noise at 2.30am. I don’t know how many times this has happened in my ward. This is the fourth time it has happened in the same spot this year.
"All banks that are situated in petrol stations are always targeted and bombed. In Zone 3 BP garage the ATM was bombed twice, and the garage at Caroline was bombed once. This is now a norm in my ward,” she said.
The frustrated councillor told Daily Sun that this has gone out of hand because ATMs are there to assist the community to access funds easily.
"This is to help us not travel far just to withdraw money. I don’t think we'll have an ATM Shell garage anymore. This has happened too many times and it’s scary," she said.
Dammie said she doesn't know how the government can intervene and prevent these crimes from happening.
"My ward is always targeted. I don't feel safe anymore. I'm constantly wondering which ATM will be targeted next,” she said.
She said that it feels as if people are always monitored and targeted.
"The ATMs at the garages are always targeted and it’s putting the lives of community members at risk. I think this is just a syndicate because it is happening everywhere," she concluded.
Daily Sun made numerous attempts to get an official comment from the cops but they had not responded by the time of publishing.
