A CIT van was bombed on the N3 in Johannesburg on Saturday 27 August, with suspects still at large. Photo: Screenshot.
A CIT van was bombed on the N3 in Johannesburg on Saturday 27 August, with suspects still at large. Photo: Screenshot.
According to the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), 18 security guards were killed during cash-in-transit (CIT) heists in Gauteng since the start of the 2019 financial year – a year in which 61 incidents took place.
They also said that a further 81 security officers were injured over the same period, leading the party to call for the implementation of intensified safety measures with urgency.
FF Plus ‘repeatedly call for increased protection’ for CIT officers
Kobus Hoffman, the FF Plus’ MPL in Gauteng, said that this disturbing information was provided by the Province’s MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, who said that in addition to the incidents that took place in 2019, there were 26 CIT heists in the first three months of 2020.
“Transit heist syndicates are usually well trained and better equipped than the police officers who have to overcome many challenges, like a lack of manpower, vehicles, weapons and training,” said Hoffman.
He said that repeated calls for increased security measures have fallen on deaf ears, and demanded that urgent attention be paid to eradicating the criminal syndicates and opportunists responsible for the heists.
“Over the last year, the FF Plus has repeatedly asked the police to intensify its safety measures and especially to get its air force fully operational again because air support plays a cardinal role in the fight against serious crime.
Spike in robberies in 2020
Two security guards were injured and rushed to hospital at the end of August after their CIT van was bombed by a group of armed robbers, with that incident the latest CIT heist in a spate of violent robberies across the province in recent weeks.
In a separate incident, five suspects were fatally wounded and two were arrested after police engaged in a shootout having tracked down a gang who robbed a van in Dawn Park, Boksburg, on Wednesday 27 September.
“The party also requested the Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela to act in the best interest of the community by ensuring that the police service has all the resources it needs to do its job properly,” said Hoffman.
