Four cash-in-transit guards have been killed in separate attacks in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, highlighting the growing danger faced by workers transporting money across South Africa.
The deadly incidents happened early this week in Mamelodi East and the Nkunzana area. Several other guards were wounded, while police recovered explosives, firearms and other evidence from the crime scenes.
The attacks have sparked anger in the cash-in-transit industry, with warnings that heavily armed criminal groups are becoming more violent and more confident when targeting security crews.
Between January and the middle of August, almost 120 cash-in-transit robberies were recorded across the country. Gauteng accounted for 42% of the incidents, while KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 23%.
In 32% of the reported attacks, the criminals did not manage to take any cash. However, people were still killed or wounded, firearms were stolen, equipment was lost and vehicles were hijacked.
Two Guards Killed In Mamelodi East
In Gauteng, police have launched a manhunt for several suspects after an attempted cash-in-transit robbery in Extension 16, Mamelodi East. The suspects allegedly travelled in two vehicles, described as a white or cream Volkswagen Polo and a maroon Volkswagen Polo. They attacked security guards who were transporting cash. Two guards, aged 34 and 41, were fatally wounded during the attack.
A third guard was shot and taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said the suspects opened fire during the attempted robbery.“It is alleged that the suspects, who were travelling in two vehicles, a white or cream Volkswagen Polo and a maroon Volkswagen Polo, attacked security guards who were transporting cash. During the incident, two security guards, aged 34 and 41, were fatally wounded.
A third security guard sustained gunshot wounds and was transported to hospital for medical treatment,” Sibeko said.
A police vehicle was damaged during a shootout at the scene. One of the suspects’ vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz, was abandoned and later set alight.
Police recovered explosives from the area.
Although the attackers did not manage to steal cash, two firearms belonging to the security company were recovered.
A 21-year-old bystander was arrested after allegedly being found with a rifle believed to have been stolen during the attack.
No police officers were injured.
The case is being investigated as murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery and malicious damage to property. Officers are still searching for the armed suspects believed to have taken part in the attack.
Two More Guards Die In KwaZulu-Natal
In KwaZulu-Natal, two security guards were killed during another cash-in-transit attack in the Nkunzana area.
Police said a cash delivery truck was travelling from Nongoma towards Pongola when armed suspects attacked it. The attackers were reportedly travelling in different vehicles. They forced the truck to stop before opening fire and fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money. The two guards died during the robbery, while a third victim suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said cases of cash-in-transit robbery, two counts of murder and attempted murder were being investigated.
“Reports indicate that a cash delivery truck was travelling from Nongoma towards Pongola when it was attacked near the Nkunzana area by a group of armed suspects who were reportedly travelling in different vehicles. The suspects brought the cash delivery truck to a stop. The suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. Two security guards died during the robbery whilst the third victim sustained gunshot wounds and was taken to hospital for medical attention,” Netshiunda said.
The KZN Hawks said the crew appeared to be the same crew that had been targeted on 6 August while travelling from Pongola to Nongoma.
After that earlier attack, investigators took statements from the driver and the crew of the cash vehicle.
However, the same crew was allegedly attacked again on Monday afternoon at the gate of the KwaKhangelamankengane royal palace.
Attackers Allegedly Used Explosives
KZN Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said the suspects appeared to have ordered the crew out of the vehicle before using explosives.
“Unfortunately, on Monday afternoon, at the gate at KwaKhangelamankengane, the royal palace, they were attacked again,” Mhlongo said.
“It seems like they asked them to get out of the vehicle so they could bomb it. The suspects shot at them and used explosives while two were inside the vehicle. They died at the scene. Only one managed to escape.”
Mhlongo had earlier reported that armed suspects ambushed a cash-in-transit van near Nkunzana on 6 August. The attackers allegedly used explosives to steal cash and firearms. A high-speed chase followed, during which several vehicles were hijacked, including a K9 police vehicle. Investigators later recovered evidence from an abandoned getaway vehicle.
Three suspects, aged 37, 39 and 51, were arrested in Durban on 3 September.
They appeared in the Nongoma Magistrate’s Court on Monday and are expected to return to court on 14 September for their bail application.
The arrests relate to the earlier investigation, while police continue gathering evidence about the latest deadly attack.
Industry Calls For Urgent Action
The Cash-in-Transit Association of South Africa has expressed outrage over the deaths of the four guards.
Its head, Grant Clark, said Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remained the highest-risk provinces following the latest attacks.
“These tragic incidents once again demonstrate the extreme and escalating violence directed at CIT personnel.
The people who carry and protect the country’s cash are increasingly being confronted by heavily armed and organised criminal groups prepared to use extreme violence, with devastating consequences for employees, their families and communities,” Clark said.
He said the attacks could not be treated as ordinary criminal activity.
The association has called for urgent action to stop the continued targeting of cash-in-transit workers, who face armed groups while carrying out their duties.
The attacks also raise concerns about how criminals choose their targets and how quickly they change their methods.
Criminals Change Their Methods
Security expert Willem Els said cash-in-transit robbers often ram vehicles to force guards to surrender.
In the past, criminals sometimes set cash trucks alight when guards resisted. Guards are now generally trained to surrender in order to avoid deadly violence.
This allows attackers to disarm the guards and escape with cash and weapons. However, Els said the latest attacks suggested that some criminals were becoming even more aggressive.
“It seems that now they are actually a bit more violent based on the last two incidents,” Els said.
“Apart from them being more violent, it is also brazen in how they attack them.”
Els said criminals regularly changed their targets based on the possible reward and the level of risk.
As banks and ATMs introduced stronger security measures, criminals increasingly turned their attention to cash-in-transit vehicles.
“When it also became more difficult for them to attack the vehicles, they went for the over-the-pavement attacks when the guards were actually loading the cash from the shop onto the vehicle,” Els said.
The latest attacks show that even when criminals fail to steal cash, the consequences can still be deadly. Guards can lose their lives, firearms can be taken and members of the public can be caught in the crossfire.
The manhunt for the suspects involved in the Mamelodi East attack continues, while investigations into the KwaZulu-Natal incidents remain active.
For the families of the four guards killed this week, the robberies are no longer just crime statistics. They are the loss of loved ones who went to work and never returned home.
