Two people were killed during a cash-in-transit heist in Boksburg on Monday after suspected robbers bombed a security van and exchanged gunfire with a responding security company.
The attack occurred just after 1300 local time in the Dawn Park area of Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, when armed robbers targeted a cash-in-transit vehicle using explosives, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi told Reuters.
"Suspects bombed a cash vehicle before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash," Nevhuhulwi said in a statement. "Shots were fired between the suspects and a nearby security company that responded to the scene."
Police have not yet identified the two people killed or confirmed whether they were security personnel or members of the armed gang. The investigation remains ongoing with details still emerging, Nevhuhulwi added.
Video footage from the scene showed residents scrambling to collect cash that had been left behind after the robbers fled the area. Such incidents have become increasingly common in South Africa, where cash-in-transit heists have surged in recent years.
The attack marks the latest in a series of violent cash-in-transit robberies in the Boksburg area. In May, five suspected robbers were killed in a shootout with police in Dawn Park, while two others died in a similar confrontation with law enforcement.
"The suspects, believed to be part of a larger syndicate, had been under surveillance as they moved between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces," Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said about the May incident, highlighting the organized nature of these criminal operations.
South African authorities have intensified efforts to combat cash-in-transit syndicates, which often use military-grade weapons and explosives. Police recovered an AK-47 rifle and other firearms during the May operation.
Monday's heist underscores the ongoing security challenges facing South Africa's cash transportation industry. No arrests have been made in connection with the latest incident, and police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
