PUPILS and motorists had to run for their lives as a gang of more than 10 tsotsis driving a white Mercedes-Benz rammed a Fidelity cash van head-on, causing it to fly into the air and land on its roof.
The thugs were joined by other tsotsis, and they pulled out and disarmed the guards as they stole an undisclosed amount of money on the R40 in Dwarsloop kasi near Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on Friday, 2 September at around 7am.
When cops arrived, the criminals had already vanished.
A frightened motorist said: “We were following the three cars ahead when we suddenly spotted the speeding white Mercedes-Benz hit the Fidelity cash van. The gang of gunmen jumped out of the Benz and were joined by others from a white bakkie. They pulled out the guards who were screaming for help inside.
“They didn’t even care when one of the injured guards pleaded with them. Instead, they disarmed them of their service guns, before bombing the van and looting the money. They set the Benz alight and fled in the white bakkie.”
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed that a group of about 10 armed suspects reportedly attacked four security guards who were driving in a cash van along the R40 in Dwarsloop, towards the direction of Acornhoek, on Friday, 2 September at around 7am.
“A white Mercedes-Benz sedan driven by the suspects came driving towards the direction of Bushbuckridge. It is said that the sedan then went head-on to collide with the van belonging to Fidelity Security Company, which resulted in the vehicle losing control and overturning on the road. One of the security guards sustained some injuries.
“A group of armed suspects emerged to join the ones in the sedan then allegedly went on and overpowered as well as disarmed the security guards, taking their three rifles together with one handgun. Thereafter they reportedly detonated some explosives about three times and took bags containing an undisclosed amount of cash from the said van. It is further indicated that once they finished removing the bags, they torched the Mercedes-Benz which they were driving then fled the scene with the stolen items in a certain white bakkie which could not be fully described by the guards at the time,” he said.
Mohlala said the police and other role players were informed about the incident.
Meanwhile, the injured guard was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
“Police are investigating the cash-in-transit robbery incident and a team of experts in the field of investigation has been assembled to probe the case. No one has been arrested as yet,” he said.
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela has called for the swift arrest of the suspects.
“We have confidence in the capabilities of our members that are investigating this incident and it is just a matter of time before they make a breakthrough. We hope that members of the public can understand the negative economic implications of such robberies and hopefully as often, they will share such valuable information which can help investigators to swiftly bring perpetrators to book,” she said.
Anyone with information that may assist in apprehending the perpetrators is asked to contact Detective Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Mashego on 082 469 1298 or call CrimeStop on 08600 10111. Alternatively, members of the public can send information via the MYSAPS app and all received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
