TWO cash guards are fighting for their lives in hospital.
This comes after a G4S vehicle cash van was attacked by a heavily armed heist gang near White River outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga on Thursday, 6 July at about 5.30pm.
Frightened motorists who witnessed the drama said they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw a convoy of cars with heavily armed occupants charging at the cash van at a high speed.
"The gang suddenly fired shots at the cash vehicle, forcing it to stop. We had to take cover for our lives from flying bullets. They continued shooting and cornered the van, injuring the crew and his driver before exploding the van with explosives. Things happened so fast. They made off with the undisclosed amount of cash," said a motorist.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed a group of robbers fled with money after shooting and injuring two guards near White River during a cash-in-transit heist.
"Security guards were travelling along the road between Sabie and White River when they came across a convoy of vehicles driven by suspects. One of the vehicles was a single cab Ford Ranger bakkie and the rest of the vehicles have not been described yet.
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"The guards were reportedly heading to Nelspruit (Mbombela) and about 18 kilometers away from White River, the security officers were attacked by this group of armed suspects who fired some shots at them, forcing their van to come to a standstill," he said.
Mohlala said the driver of the security van was shot twice in the upper body, while his crew was shot in the head.
"Further information indicates that the suspects detonated some explosives to gain access to cash inside the van. It is further indicated that the suspects managed to get away with an undisclosed amount of cash. After stealing cash, the suspects fled the scene, leaving behind the victims bleeding profusely and with gunshot wounds," he said.
Mohlala said the police as well as paramedics were called to the scene and upon arrival, the two were taken to hospital for medical treatment. Police opened cases of attempted murder, robbery as well as contravention of the explosive Act of South Africa.
"A team of experts in the field of investigation has since been established under the leadership of the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela. A manhunt for the suspects has since been launched and no one has been arrested so far," Mohlala said.
