Five suspected cash-in-transit robbers have been shot dead after a high-speed police pursuit and gun battle in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.
The Hawks said the gang allegedly opened fire on police during the pursuit after an armed group attacked a security vehicle near a scrap metal business on Monday morning.
Police responded to the robbery and later identified vehicles believed to have been used in the attack.
The suspects were pursued before the confrontation ended in a shootout.
Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana said five suspects sustained fatal gunshot wounds during the confrontation. Other alleged members of the gang reportedly escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
“The confrontation culminated in five suspects sustaining fatal gunshot wounds. Other suspects reportedly managed to flee the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No police officials or security guards were injured during the incident,” Mhlakuvana said.
He said two firearms belonging to the security guards had been taken during the robbery.
“Two firearms from the security guards were robbed. The Hawks will provide further information as the investigation progresses and verified details become available,” Mhlakuvana said.
No police officers or security guards were injured in the shooting.
Attack triggered high-speed pursuit
The attack began when an armed group targeted a security vehicle near a scrap metal business in Gqeberha.
The Hawks have not yet released the name of the security company, the exact location of the scrap metal business or the amount of money stolen.
It is also not yet clear how many suspects were involved in the original robbery or how many people escaped after the shootout.
Police identified vehicles believed to have been used in the attack and began a pursuit.
The pursuit developed into a high-speed chase through the city before the suspects allegedly opened fire on police.
The Hawks have not said whether the suspects fired first or disclosed the number of rounds fired during the confrontation. Those details are expected to form part of the ongoing investigation.
The five people who died have not been publicly identified.
Their identities will have to be confirmed through formal processes, including forensic and post-mortem procedures, before the Hawks can release further information.
The deaths remain allegations of criminal involvement until the investigation establishes the circumstances of the robbery and the identities of those who were killed.
Two security firearms taken
The theft of two firearms from security guards is a significant part of the investigation.
The Hawks will have to determine whether the weapons were used during the subsequent exchange of gunfire and whether they can be linked to other crimes.
Investigators are expected to examine the vehicles connected to the attack, the firearms and ammunition recovered or found at the scene, ballistic evidence and any available CCTV footage.
The scene near the scrap metal business will also be examined for evidence that could establish the sequence of events.
Police will need to establish where the security vehicle was attacked, how the suspects escaped from that scene, when the vehicles were identified and where the pursuit ended.
The investigation will also focus on the suspects who reportedly fled with the cash.
The Hawks have not disclosed whether a manhunt has been launched for those suspects or whether any arrests have been made following the shootout.
Gqeberha has seen other cash-in-transit attacks
The incident is the latest in a series of serious cash-in-transit robberies reported in and around Gqeberha this year.
On 28 September, four armed men allegedly attacked a Fidelity cash van at Ziyabuya Shopping Centre in KwaDwesi while a crew member was carrying a cash bag from a kiosk.
The Hawks said the suspects were carrying rifles and allegedly opened fire on security guards. One crew member sustained a gunshot wound to his leg before the suspects took the cash bag and fled in a white Toyota single-cab bakkie.
No firearms were taken from the security guards in that incident, according to reporting by PE Express. At the time, no arrests had been made and the Hawks were hunting the suspects.
The September robbery occurred near a police station, according to the local report, highlighting the speed and violence with which cash-in-transit crews can be targeted in public areas.
The earlier case and Monday’s attack are separate investigations. There is no confirmation that the same group was involved in both incidents.
The Hawks will investigate whether the suspects killed in Monday’s shootout were linked to the earlier robbery or other attacks in the Eastern Cape.
Cash-in-transit robberies remain a priority crime
Cash-in-transit robberies involve armed attacks on security vehicles or guards transporting money between businesses, banks, cash centres and other collection points.
The attacks often involve several people, multiple vehicles and high-powered firearms. Criminal groups may target a vehicle while it is collecting cash, travelling between locations or stopping at a business.
The robbery of security firearms can increase the danger for guards, police and members of the public because those weapons may later be used in other crimes.
In a related police investigation in Limpopo earlier this year, suspects allegedly robbed a retail store of cash and cellphones before an exchange of gunfire with police during their escape. The suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot, while police recovered an undisclosed amount of cash and cellphones.
The Limpopo case was not connected to Monday’s Gqeberha shootout. It illustrates the pattern investigators often examine after armed robberies: getaway vehicles, weapons, money trails and links between suspects and other cases.
The Hawks investigate organised and serious priority crimes, including major cash-in-transit robberies. Their work commonly involves tracing suspects, analysing firearms and linking separate incidents through forensic evidence and intelligence.
No police or guards injured
The fact that no police officials or security guards were injured in the Gqeberha shootout was confirmed by the Hawks.
The five suspected robbers were the only people reported to have suffered fatal gunshot wounds in the confrontation.
The Hawks have not provided information about whether any bystanders were present or whether property was damaged during the pursuit.
Gqeberha is a major Eastern Cape urban centre with busy roads, industrial areas and commercial districts. A high-speed pursuit through the city can pose risks to other road users and residents.
The investigation will establish whether the suspects’ vehicles were stopped by police, crashed or were forced to halt before the shooting.
No details have been released about the condition of the vehicles or whether additional evidence was found inside them.
Hawks promise verified updates
Mhlakuvana said the Hawks would release more information as the investigation progressed and verified details became available.
That includes the identities of the dead suspects, the amount of money taken, the identity of the security company, the firearms involved and the number of suspects who escaped.
The Hawks are also expected to determine whether the firearms taken from the security guards were recovered and whether the weapons used in the shootout can be linked to the robbery.
Police may appeal to members of the public for information about the suspects who fled the scene or about vehicles believed to have been used in the attack.
Anyone with information should contact the police or the Hawks rather than approaching suspects themselves.
At this stage, the confirmed facts are that a security vehicle was targeted near a scrap metal business in Gqeberha, police pursued vehicles believed to have been used in the robbery, a shootout followed and five suspected robbers sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Other alleged suspects escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, and two firearms belonging to the security guards were reportedly taken.
The investigation remains ongoing.