Shootouts and car chases: High drama in Limpopo as police gun for heist suspects

Four people were arrested on Tuesday for an armed robbery of a cash-in-transit vehicle in Limpopo.

“The G4S security officers were on Tuesday at about 6.30pm transporting money along the R71 road between Letsitele and Tarentaal outside Tzaneen when about ten (10) suspects travelling in two cars accosted them‚” said police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.

The suspects‚ according to the police‚ started firing at the wheels of the security vehicle and after it came to a halt they ordered the three security officers out at gun point before blasting it with explosives. They then fled the scene after taking an undisclosed amount of money.

“The police were called‚ reacted swiftly and within minutes the vehicles were spotted. A car chase ensued along the Hoedspruit/Lydenburg road. Members of the Farm Watch joined and assisted in blocking the route. One of the vehicles was cornered next to Swadini in Hoedspruit policing area and a shootout ensued.”

Of the five suspects who were in the car‚ three aged between 43 and 25 were nabbed‚ one managed to flee and the other was shot dead.

The three suspects and the deceased are from Burgersfort outside Tzaneen‚ Hazyview and Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga‚ the police said.

The other vehicle was cornered next to the Strydom tunnel and after a shootout the suspects abandoned it and fled on foot. The police managed to apprehend one of them and others are still at large.

The police recovered a white Mercedes-Benz ML‚ a black Audi‚ two AK 47 rifles‚ one R4 rifle‚ two police bulletproof vests‚ two army bulletproof vests‚ two bags of money‚ blue lights‚ a two-way radio and a pistol.

“The arrested suspects are likely to be linked with other cash-in-transit heists committed in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces‚” Mojapelo said.

The men will appear in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court soon.