South Africans warned against picking up money amid wave of CIT heists

Police have warned people to stay away from cash-in-transit (CIT) crime scenes after a social media video of people running towards a bombed CIT van in the south of Joburg shortly after it was robbed.

According to reports, four bomb sounds were heard with gunshots fired that saw people from a nearby area run to the scene to pick up cash.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe warned people not to pick up money from CIT heist crime scenes.

“This amounts to theft and defeating the ends of justice. CIT scenes are dangerous and can pose a risk to the loss of life as explosives are often used,” she said.

WATCH: Cops launch manhunt after guards wounded, woman hijacked in Joburg CIT heist

Mathe said maximum resources were mobilised, following the CIT heist on the N12 in Mondeor in which a female driver of a BMW was hijacked and kidnapped.

“She was forced at gunpoint to drive the suspects towards Soweto. The suspects got off near Diepsloot and ran towards other getaway vehicles,” she said.

“Air support and a multidisciplinary team have been activated to search for at least 15 to 20 suspects, who got away with an undisclosed amount of money at 11.25am on Saturday,” Mathe said four Fidelity guards were injured during the heist.

“Police were on the lookout for suspects who travelled in a black Golf 8 GTI, a blue BMW X6, a white Mitsubishi Parejo, a black Range Rover and a white Toyota Fortuna,” she said.

More heists

Three separate CIT robberies were reported in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Last week.

Last month, 19 suspects linked to a CIT gang were killed in a shootout with police in Limpopo, followed by another heist in Hoedspruit.

In July, two CIT robberies occurred in Pretoria East and north of Pretoria 25 minutes apart during peak-hour traffic.

Dr Witness Maluleke, rural criminologist from the University of Limpopo, said the festive seasons often brought new waves of organised crimes.

READ MORE: CIT robber involved in cash van heists nabbed in KZN

“Lately, we have witnessed CIT incidences in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal , Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Other provinces are likely to follow.”

Maluleke said these criminal syndicates use heavy weapons and explosives in their operations.

He said the cashless society tag was an escape from reality and acceptance of defeat.

“Instead, new refreshed intelligence-led policing strategies are needed. For the CIT looters, the consequences can be massive, as they can be injured by unactivated explosives, caught in the crossfire, get hit by a stray bullet to eventually die at an CIT scene,” he said.

“They can also contaminate the CIT scene by destroying valuable evidence.”

Arrest for theft

Maluleke said entering an active CIT scene can place people’s lives in danger.

They can also be arrested for defeating or obstructing the course of justice or for having committed theft.

Prof Jaco Barkhuizen, head of the department of criminology at the University of Limpopo, said from this month to the end of January, South Africa will experience a spike in CIT robberies.

“During this period, a lot of money is being moved around and the December holidays are coming up with sales picking up with Christmas shopping.”

Barkhuizen said because bank charges and banking for small amounts were so high, people still relied on cash transactions.

“The fact that people run towards CIT scenes shortly after an attack shows the desperation. It reflects the dire socio-economic and financial situation.”

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