'My family could have lost their provider' - Tembisa man fears for his life after brazen robbery

Collins Mashamaite fears for his life after he was robbed of R25,000 in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, last week - and he is worried the robbers might strike again.

The 40-year-old man was speaking to TimesLIVE on Thursday after a video of the incident surfaced. Mashamaite said he was worried that the robbery was an "inside job".

He said he recalled being held up at gunpoint by two men who "mysteriously" followed him in a VW from a Standard Bank branch after he had to cash a cheque.

"I was scared. I didn't understand what was happening. Everything happened very quickly," he said.

His robbery was caught on camera just outside his logistics company. He said he had worked for the company for 14 years. He and his colleague had been waiting for the gate to open when the robbers broke his window, forced themselves into the car, searched him and demanded the money.

A father of two, Mashamaite said he suspected that the bank staff member who helped  him was involved in the robbery, as he often went to cash cheques and made huge deposits. He had never been robbed before.

"The woman who was assisting me took the cheque and my driver's licence so she could confirm. It was just the two of us. I remember after she gave me the money, she said I shouldn't leave, but she left the office. I wondered why, and just put the money in my jacket pocket. I think she wanted to call these people [the robbers]," he said.

Mashamaite said it was quiet outside the bank, and he didn't notice any suspicious people or vehicles, including the one that ultimately followed him.

"I would have seen something, but there was no one. So then we left," he said.

On top of a police investigation being launched, Mashamaite said he had also laid a complaint with the bank, and was told forensic teams would soon check the branch's camera footage.

"I pray that the people behind this get arrested. I could have lost my life. I could have lost my job. My family could have lost their provider," he said.

Almost a week after the incident occurred, Mashamaite said he still lived in fear. He said that he had since had to withdraw money and travel back to his Tembisa home, but was reminded of the robbers.

"I wanted to withdraw money but it didn't feel right. It almost felt as if I would be robbed again or these people are following me," he said.

Mashamaite said he was grateful that his bosses understood that it was not his fault that he was robbed.

"I think they trust me and understand that I would never betray them. I have worked for this company for a very long time," he said.

Police spokesperson Const Justice Ramaube said no arrests had been made, but asked for the public's help in catching the armed men.