The Heists, the Money and the Keyser Söze
Who is Keyser Söze? Verbal Kint in the movie, The Usual Suspects, answers, “Nobody ever believed he was real. Nobody ever knew him. That was his power. The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”.
As the nation was still struggling to make sense of the spate of the cashin- transit heists, yet another one, this time, a brazen and humiliating attack on the ego of our entire security apparatus, happened.
A quartet, Mothusi Alfred Matomela ( 42) of Mochudi, Thapelo Lekobe ( 38) of Mmadinare, and two South Africans; Mzwandile Mazibuko ( 25) and Ntholephi Elliot Ntshalintshali ( 29) attacked and robbed security guards and the police, who were escorting a G4S CIT vehicle at Turn Right Mall in Mogoditshane.
They just did not get away with the money they even went away with two police weapons. You heard me; they came, they saw, they conquered. They were subsequently caught, and for some unknown reason, they are still alive. And as it has become too familiar a story, they will soon be out on bail, to do what they do best. By the way, they have hired a top lawyer.
But as we were still coming to terms with the Mogoditshane heist, the ATM at Engen Filling Station was blown to pieces and the thieves got away with cash. In short, the situation has gotten out of control.
But are we supposed to simply believe that these heists are just carried out by some rag- tag criminal syndicates operating independently, or is this one syndicate broken into independently operating cells?
The independent cells modus operandi is a function of operational security ( OPSEC). In such high- risk, high- yield operations, it is always safer for the right hand, not to know, what the left hand is doing.
I am of the view that, the intelligence picture coming out of these heists, indicates that intelligence gathering and operational planning for the heists is done from a central point. In this case, it is highly unlikely that we are having one source dealing with multiple syndicates.
It is, however, likely that, it is, one source, one syndicate. Then that would mean there is a mastermind, the boss, the Keyser Söze. Who is Keyser Söze?
The type of offenders who typically commit CIT armed robbery are professional offenders who have a tendency to plan the offence, study their target and carry high- powered weaponry.
There are currently three main typologies of armed robbery offenders. These are amateurs, intermediates, and professional offenders. The categories are determined by the risk- to- yield ratio of the armed robbery, the criminal history of the offender, and the amount of planning that has gone into the robbery.
Amateurs tend to be opportunistic offenders, with short- sighted intentions and little understanding of what to expect from the robbery experience or the amount of money they are likely to receive.
Intermediate armed robbers are generally more organised and experienced than amateurs but not as dedicated to armed robbery as professionals. These offenders are likely to engage in a reasonable amount of planning and are prepared to use weapons if necessary.
Professional armed robbers have a higher level of motivation, are involved in rigorously planning robberies, are more likely to use firearms as their weapon of choice, are more willing to engage in violence, and are more likely to persistently commit armed robberies as a means of making a living.
Professional offenders are considered high- risk, violent offenders; while they make up only a small percentage of the offending population, they cause the greatest concern to the community.
CIT offenders collect information and gather intelligence about companies they want to target and that they also research when and where the movement of cash takes place.
All these cannot happen without the assistance of an ‘ insider.’ The ‘ insider’ may be in the CIT security company, maybe in the intelligence community, maybe in the law enforcement, or may even be the client itself.
But until the security services go deep into this issue, Keyser Söze, whose ruthlessness and influence have acquired a legendary, even mythical status, would remain elusive.