A cash-in-transit (CIT) heist on Saturday, 10 January 2026, triggered a significant police operation along Elias Motsoaledi Road in Roodepoort and Meadowlands, in Soweto. The incident unfolded in the early hours of Saturday when unidentified suspects targeted a CIT vehicle, escaping with an undisclosed sum of money.
The Gauteng police commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, addressing the media at the scene, explained the sequence of events.
"The person responsible for escorting the cash vehicle was taken by surprise when he heard gunfire," Mthombeni stated. He further detailed how the van lost control and rolled over as a result of the attack. "Out of that, instantly, the robbers then came out and they set the explosive and the cash van exploded. An undisclosed amount of money was taken," he added.
Roodepoort Record journalists arriving at the scene were instructed to remain inside their vehicles and were cautioned against taking photographs, as the crime scene had not yet been cleared by forensic teams. A damaged Opel Corsa bakkie was visible in the middle of the road, surrounded by several police vehicles, while journalists and members of the public were kept away from the immediate area.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed the cash-in-transit robbery had taken place. He also revealed that a secondary crime scene had been identified in Meadowlands, Soweto, where vehicles believed to be linked to the robbery were discovered. Masondo indicated that a detailed statement would be issued once he had visited both scenes to fully establish the sequence of events.
Following the initial attack, authorities established a second crime scene in Meadowlands, where vehicles believed to be linked to the robbery were discovered. According to Mthombeni, the police quickly obtained descriptions of the vehicles believed to have been used in the robbery.
Acting on information received from the police’s Crime Intelligence unit, a multidisciplinary team, including the Hawks, was formed.
"They followed information approximately three to five kilometres from this crime scene in Meadowlands. Then they ultimately got the vehicles which fit the description," Mthombeni explained.
The vehicles included a BMW with a bullet hole and cartridges inside, and a Nissan Hardbody double cab.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the recovered vehicles had been reported stolen in previous incidents. The Nissan was reported hijacked in North West in October 2025, while the BMW had been stolen in Randfontein the same year.
"We have since now got two people, of which we are questioning, and we believe those two vehicles, they are the vehicles which were involved in the cash-in-transit along this route," Mthombeni said.
The police confirmed that no fatalities resulted from the robbery, although security personnel sustained injuries during the incident.
"There were three security guards and as the cash van was rolling, they got some injuries of which they were taken to the hospital," Mthombeni noted. He added that the police recovered one pistol, believed to belong to one of the security guards, while the other two firearms remain unaccounted for.
Mthombeni stated that Gauteng has intensified efforts to combat CIT robberies, crediting a coordinated strategy for the swift arrests.
"Those people who are engaged [in CIT heists], it’s like they are really attempting suicide and if they are daring, they are not stopping, they’ll meet their match and we will not retreat," he asserted. "As we know that we are primarily responsible for the prevention of crime and one would say, they’ll feel like they were not supposed to be born in this world."
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to piece together all the details surrounding the heist and bring all those involved to justice.
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