The relentless efforts by members of the South African Police Service in Limpopo to deal with the scourge of cash-in-transit heists, yielded positive results when four suspects were arrested soon after committing an armed robbery.
The G4S security officers were on Tuesday 2018-06-05 at about 18h30 transporting money along the R71 road between Letsitele and Tarentaal outside Tzaneen when about ten (10) suspects travelling in two vehicles accosted them.
According to the information, the suspects suddenly started firing at the wheels of the security vehicle and after it came to a halt they then ordered the three security officers out at gun point before blasting it open with explosives. They then fled the scene after taking an undisclosed amount of money.
The police were called, reacted swiftly and within minutes the vehicles were spotted. A car chase ensued along the Hoedspruit/Lydenburg road. Members of the Farm Watch joined and assisted in blocking the route. One of the vehicles was cornered next to Swadini in Hoedspruit Policing area and a shootout ensued. There was Five suspects in the car, three aged between 43 and 25 were nabbed, one managed to flee and one was fatally wounded. The three suspects and the deceased are from Burgersfort, Burgersorp outside Tzaneen, Huizeview and Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga.
The other vehicle was cornered next to Strydom tunnel and after a shootout, the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot. The police managed to apprehend one of them and others are still being pursued.
The arrested suspects are likely to be linked with other cash-in-transit heists committed in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has commended the members for their swift response. " This is yet another message that we are sending to other criminals out there that their days are numbered," said General Ledwaba.
The suspects will appear in Tzaneen Magistrate's Court soon. More arrests are expected.