Durban - Crime experts say heist syndicates are becoming more brazen and are carrying out dramatic robberies in broad daylight on the country’s busy highways.
This observation comes after two cash-in-transit (CIT) heists were reported in KwaZulu-Natal this week. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police had launched a manhunt for a gang of suspects in connection with a heist that happened in KwaMashu yesterday morning.
Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenan said they responded to reports of a CIT heist on Malandela Drive in KwaMashu at 6am.
“On arrival on scene an armoured vehicle was found to have been blown up and engulfed in flames. Three people were treated for moderate injuries and taken by ambulances to nearby hospitals,” Van Reenan said.
In another incident on Tuesday, Netshiunda said the police were investigating cases of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery following a cash-in-transit robbery in Folweni.
“Reports indicate that a cash delivery truck was travelling along the M35 road when it came under heavy gunfire from suspects who were driving a white double-cab bakkie.”
Netshiunda said one security guard was shot dead, and the other was rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of money.
Crime analyst and senior researcher from the Institute for Security Studies, Dr Johan Burger, said CIT robberies had been an ongoing problem for a number of years.
“In 2006 there was a major increase in CIT robberies, over 400 nationally in that year. It took a concerted effort between the police, private security and South African Banking Risk Information Centre to bring the numbers down. We also went down to just over 100 CIT robberies in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions. Unfortunately between 2022 and 2023 we have seen it go back up to over 238 incidents.”
Burger added that the increase was due to criminals believing that they couldn’t be caught.
“They target areas where there’s more traffic as they believe the density of the vehicles makes it easier for them to get away and harder for police to get to them.
“The other thing is that CIT heists are seen as the most lucrative violent crime. Moving up to CIT crimes is seen as the highest level of organised crime syndicates, with the most rewards. More detectives and crime intelligence are crucial to reduce CIT numbers.”
Professor Nirmala Gopal, a criminologist from the University of KwaZuluNatal's College of Humanities, said CIT robberies had become more frequent since the advent of democracy.
“The trend has shown no signs of abating. In 2022, police minister, Bheki Cele, expressed his frustration at the stubborn increase in cash-in-transit heists. This growing problem requires a collaborative effort between the private sector and the police ministry, to be addressed effectively.”
Gopal said criminals were willing to risk their lives for their end goal.
“Their use of advanced weaponry gives them a false sense of security, leading them to commit crimes with increased confidence. They demonstrate a disregard for innocent bystanders and employees by using deadly force to protect themselves, revealing a belief that they are invincible.”
Chad Thomas, an organised and financial crimes investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, said despite the best efforts of Operation Shanela, which yielded significant arrests, criminals were soon back on the streets.
“This is a direct result of too few detectives carrying too many dockets, too few prosecutors handling too many cases, not enough courtrooms, not enough court days, and not enough presiding officers.”
Thomas said too often people blamed the police for the rise in crime.
“The reality is the whole criminal justice system is close to broken. It’s disheartening for committed detectives and prosecutors having to work under these intolerable circumstances.”