Man caught in middle of CIT heist tells of his ordeal

“Thank God I am still alive. A robber looked straight into my eyes, reached over and took a blue lighter out of the consol of my car. I can still feel his presence and I clearly remember his eyes … they were emotionless.”

Mr Kobus Smit, who was in the middle of the cash-in-transit (CIT) heist that was pulled off on Thursday, August 27, shared his experience with WITBANK NEWS.

Unknowingly Smit drove through the scene and when he realised what is happening he made a U-turn and tried to flee.

The robbers shot at his car’s tyre and the flat tyre and the fear of being shot bought him to a sudden halt.

“I saw three armed men jump out of a Mercedes that ramped into the police van that was escorting the cash van. I then realised the paw-paw is about to hit the fan”.

The robbers pulled the policeman from the police van and assaulted him.

They also took his firearm.

Smit said he saw more armed men jump out of two bakkies.

A Land Rover then smashed into the cash van and it rolled to its side.

While the robbers bombed the cash van, one of them rushed over to Smit’s vehicle and told him to lie down.

“The man then screamed ‘lighter, lighter’, he had a can of petrol in his hand. I just could not remember where my lighter was. The next moment the man put his head in my car and saw a blue lighter in the car’s consol. He grabbed it, sneered at me and screamed ‘There is the f*@&#^ lighter’. That is when he noticed my cell phone. He grabbed it, broke it and threw it away. As he was about to leave, he took the car keys out of the ignition.”

Before he rushed to the Land Rover, the robber hit Smit on the head with the back of his gun.

Smit saw how the gang grabbed bags filled with money, poured the petrol over the Land Rover and set it alight.

“I looked to my right and saw who I thought was the main man screaming at the rest to jump into a waiting getaway vehicle.”

A spokesperson from G4S confirmed that one of its cash management vehicles was the target of a cash-in-transit attack while under police escort.

The driver of the CIT vehicle could not escape because the vehicle landed on its side.

The robbers let off an explosive device while the driver was still in the vehicle.

“The driver was immediately taken to hospital, where he underwent treatment for an ear injury caused by the explosion. He has since been discharged and is doing well,” the G4S spokesperson said.

G4S said it will not tolerate any attacks on its employees, and that it will be leaving no stone unturned to find those behind the attack.

It is working closely with the SAPS to apprehend the suspects.

The policeman who was assaulted by the robbers was taken to hospital and discharged the same day.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the HAWKS has taken over the investigation.

After receiving information, police recovered two vehicles at a house in Highveld Park. However, no arrests have been made yet.

HAWKS take over CIT heist case

Road still closed after CIT heist earlier

(Video) Cash in transit shootout in OR Tambo Road