Heists and femicide in Gauteng to come under the spotlight

08 June 2018 - 07:00 By Naledi Shange
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Cash-in-transit vehicles attacked on Atlas Road.
Cash-in-transit vehicles attacked on Atlas Road.
Image: @emergancy_task via Twitter

Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane and provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Deliwe de Lange are on Friday expected to answer tough questions on the the state of crime in the province.

The pair are set to appear before the Gauteng legislature’s portfolio committee on community safety.

While the committee will seek answers on progress made on reported cases of crime and violence against women and children‚ the spotlight is expected to be on increasing incidents of cash-in-transit heists. According to the committee‚ almost 100 cash-in-transit heists have taken place in Gauteng over the past nine months. 

The meeting comes after five people were arrested in connection with a cash-in-transit heist which happened in Boksburg‚ Ekurhuleni‚ on Thursday. The five were caught at the George Goch hostel in Johannesburg after police chased them with a helicopter. Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said more than 10 suspects, driving in four vehicles, approached two G4S security vans along the Atlas Road.

The incident took place at about 9.30am.

"They started shooting at the vans. Then there was a shoot-out between the security officers and the suspects. The suspects managed to blow up the cash vans and take some cash‚" said Masondo.

Videos of the armed attackers firing shots in the busy road went viral. 


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