R20m taken in 41 E Cape in-transit heists

More than R20-million was stolen in 41 cash-in-transit hits in the Eastern Cape between July 2017 and 2018, according to the Hawks.

One of those robberies was foiled, MPLs sitting on the portfolio committee of the Office of The Premier in Bhisho heard on Wednesday.

Twenty of the robberies were in Mthatha, with thugs getting away with R9m in a single hit on a G4S van.

There were 12 heists in East London and nine in Port Elizabeth, Hawks Serious Organised Crime Unit commander Mxolisi Nogemana told the committee.

Of the 41 cases, 20 are in court after 35 suspects were arrested.

In 33 of the cases, robbers pounced on guards loading money into ATMs.

On four occasions robbers hit an armoured vehicle while en route and on three occasions the robbers bombed armoured vehicles while on the road.

Nogemana said 15 suspected robbers had been arrested in Mthatha, 13 in East London and seven in Port Elizabeth..

No one was arrested following the September 4 2017, R9m Baziya Bridge robbery, said Nogemana.

The second worst heist involved a G4S van travelling at Satan’s Neck on July 23 in Ngcobo. It was bombed and R2m was stolen with R282,000 recovered. No arrests were made.

Robbers got away with R1.4m after hitting Myezo Spar in Mthatha, and also took a rifle and two pistols from SVB security guards on June 28 last year.

The suspects were still at large, Nogemana told shocked committee members, adding that there had been a sudden spike of cash-in-transit heists allegedly orchestrated by gangs from other provinces.

“The Eastern Cape is currently being plagued by an increase in the cash-in-transit crimes due to the displacement of this crime that was dealt with in Operation Ganolimp which endeavoured to stabilise the situation in Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga,” he said.

Nogemana was accompanied by Serious Crime Investigation commander Colonel Gavin Booysen.

Committee chair Sicelo Gqobana said the Hawks were fighting a losing battle, saying they needed to be better prepared to successfully nip the heists in the bud.

Nogemana said they needed quality investigators instead of quantity.