Yesterday morning, unknown suspects robbed Fidelity Guards of an undisclosed amount of money intended to pay elders social grants at a pay point in Zwelisha.
According to police information, the security guards in the cash in transit vehicle, were followed by a suspicious looking white bakkie. “While they tried to dive away from the
bakkie which was following them, they were shot at by stray bullets from a BMW which blocked their way from the front,” explained Col Mntsholi Bhembe.
“Immediately a group of about 10 men, including a woman came from both the bakkie and the BMW shooting at the vehicle and forcing the guards to stop the vehicle,” he added.
He said that the guards were searched for the vehicle’s keys and the suspects opened the back of the vehicle before blasting the safe open. “They took the money and fled the scene,” he explained.
Also read: Cash in transit between UMP and KaMagugu junction
Mr Senzeni Ngobeni, spokesman of SASSA in the province said arrangements were made for the elders to receive their pension money at the same cash point on the same day.
“Such robberies delayed the process as we had to wait for the delivery of cash. It brings about anxiety and raises safety concerns to the beneficiaries, hence we always try to pay them early in the morning so that they safely leave the pay points on time,” he said.
Ngobeni said that it concerns the department that such heists continue to take place even when they had beefed up security in the cash in transit vehicles.
“We had a similar incident in Schoemansdal where they even kidnapped one of our officials. We beefed up the security with armed securities, but such things continue to happen. How, I don’t know, I can’t explain,” he concluded.
