In the early hours of Monday morning, five suspected cash-in-transit robbers were killed in a shootout with police, hours after they carried out a daring heist on an armoured vehicle. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation, known as the Hawks, reported the recovery of cash, AK-47 rifles, R5 rifles, and live ammunition and magazines.
The incident began around six in the morning when an SBV armored truck traveling from East London to Stutterheim was ambushed on the N6 near Macleantown. The assailants, armed and traveling in a fleet of vehicles, attacked the truck. Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela reported that the armored vehicle landed on its side during the attack, injuring three guards. Shots were also fired at an SBV escort car.
Three of the suspects’ vehicles were abandoned at the scene and were later discovered to have been reported stolen from various provinces. The robbers made off with an undisclosed sum of money, and explosives were found and collected at the scene.
Later that day, information led the Hawks to a farmhouse in Keiskammahoek, where the suspects had taken refuge. “The attackers in the suspicious homestead opened fire on the team, resulting in five of the attackers being fatally wounded. The police were compelled to respond with the same force,” stated Captain Mgolodela. Cash, R5 and AK-47 rifles, live ammunition, and magazines were recovered from the scene.
A 58-year-old man believed to be the owner of the farmhouse was arrested and is scheduled to appear in court soon before the King William’s Town Magistrate.
Further investigations led to the arrest of three individuals driving a Porsche SUV with a Gauteng registration. Police spotted the suspicious vehicle between Queenstown and Cradock. “A speedy blockade was erected, but the car would not stop. A chase ensued, and traditional means of stopping it were employed,” Mgolodela explained. The three men, aged 44 to 48, were taken into custody.
During the arrest, police seized stacks of R100 and R200 bills in their original currency bags, four cellphones, and the Porsche Cayenne, which was reported stolen in Gauteng. The three suspects are set to appear in court for the first time on Thursday before the Cradock Magistrate’s court.
Major General Mboiki Obed Ngwenya, the provincial head, praised the swift arrests and expressed his satisfaction with the outcome.
