Limpopo police are searching for robbers who carried out a cash-in-transit heist in which a security guard was shot, and a female motorist was wounded after being caught in the crossfire.
News24 reported that the incident happened in Maupa village on Saturday.
According to police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the cash van had three occupants and was traveling on the R81 toward Giyani.
A white Range Rover traveling in the opposite direction bumped into the van.
“The driver swerved and managed to avoid a collision, and the Range Rover then passed it. Another group of suspects in a blue Mercedes-Benz used a similar method and managed to bump the cash van, and the driver reduced speed. His crew jumped out to inspect the vehicle, but the Range Rover suddenly emerged again and opened fire on a Nissan NP200, which was escorting the security guards,” said Mojapelo.
“The cash van driver drove towards Maupa village but was accosted by a third group of suspects driving in a silver VW Amarok.”
“The suspects opened fire on the cash van until the driver lost control, and it stopped. The security guards managed to escape and fled into the bushes. Subsequently, the suspects blew up the security vehicle with explosives and took an undisclosed amount of money before they fled the scene in getaway vehicles and the… Nissan NP200.”
Fourteen houses were damaged by explosives when the robbers blew up the cash van, added Mojapelo.
The driver, who was shot, was taken to hospital.
The Mercedes-Benz was later found burnt along the R81, and the Nissan NP200 was recovered in a nearby village without the keys.
The keys were later found in a Toyota Land Cruiser that the robbers stole after the heist.
Police officers immediately launched a search for the robbers and spotted them in a Ford Ranger in the Tzaneen area.
A shootout ensued, resulting in a 36-year-old woman being shot in her car, in the crossfire.
The robbers fled the scene.
The provincial police commissioner has ordered the establishment of a task team to track down and arrest the robbers.
Police have opened a case of armed robbery, two counts of attempted murder, and 14 counts of malicious damage to property.
News24 previously reported that cash-in-transit heists increased by 19 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2023, according to the Cash-In-Transit Association of SA (Citasa).
The robberies usually involved large groups of up to 30 perpetrators and were becoming increasingly violent, said Citasa.
