The three G4S security guards who were arrested on Friday, 30 October in connection with the Florida cash-in-transit heist and murder of Shane Williams, appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court yesterday, 11 November.
Also read: G4S security guards arrested in connection with Florida CIT heist
The men aged 25, 28 and 40 were arrested after R3,2 million was recovered from under the seats of the bombed armoured vehicle and from the dustbins on a nearby premises. In a previous statement, Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu, spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) said that the men would be appearing in court on charges of murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of suspected stolen money, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
According to statements by the accused, the three men were driving along Ontdekkers Road, performing their duties of filling ATMs when they heard gunshots. Both the driver of the vehicle and the custodian admitted to seeing an Audi and a BMW following them, at which point the driver attempted to bump into the two cars with the armoured vehicle in hopes of deterring the assailants.
While statements from all three the accused lined up and shared similar sentiments, the driver claimed to have pressed the panic button to alert the security company that the vehicle was being attacked, the custodian claimed to have called in the attack, and the third G4S security guard’s statement said that he wanted to emphasise that he was the person who called in the attack.
The driver claimed that the chase had come to an end shortly after he noticed that the front right tyre of the armoured vehicle was flat and he had been driving on its rim. The accused stated that the attackers then approached the vehicle, holding what looked like bombs, so for their own safety they exited the vehicle, at which point the assailants allegedly took their firearms and instructed them to lie on the ground, threatening to shoot the driver for ‘being stubborn’.
Also read: WATCH: CIT robbery ends in tragedy
The guards claimed that the assailants then emptied the vault and fled. It was at this point that they took the bag of money that was left behind to a business owner across the street ‘for safekeeping’ until the arrival of their superiors. With regard to the money that was found under the seat of the armoured vehicle, the driver turned the blame to the custodian for not putting the money into the vault. The custodian admitted that he should have put the money in the vault, but did not as a way to save time while the team was loading ATMs. The custodian went on to defend his innocence in the statement by saying that if he was involved, he would have notified the assailants of the money that was not inside the vault, but he did not. The accused each denied any involvement in planning or executing the heist.
After hearing the statements from each of the accused and their reasons to be released on bail (which covered cramped conditions in the Krugersdorp Prison, no contact visits making it difficult to meet with their lawyer, Covid exposure threats, mental and physical well-being, and the amount of time criminal trials take) the judge granted all three suspects bail of R5 000 under very strict conditions. The judge further stated that the accused would be able to return to work after undergoing a 14-day self-isolation period to make sure they were not a coronavirus risk, under the condition that they report to their nearest police station in person three times per week.
The case was postponed to 18 January 2021.
G4S Security has been approached for comment as to whether the three men will be returning to work for the company now that the court has granted them permission, but by the time of publication, an answer had not been received. As soon as answers from G4S are forthcoming, an update will be done.
