It has become a common sight. In broad daylight, criminals armed with assault rifles block a cash van, open fire, and use explosives to get to the money boxes. Bystanders have to take cover, traffic grinds to a halt and security guards run for their lives. For the duration of the attack, the area is turned into a war zone.
This scenario played itself out in Boksburg on Thursday afternoon. About 10 men armed with assault rifles staged another heist - the 10th in 17 days. Kudos to the police for their swift response, which resulted in the arrest of five suspects. The getaway car and an undisclosed amount of money were recovered.
Unconfirmed reports say another cash van was hit in Pretoria East on Friday night. According to statistics from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, there were 378 cash-in-transit heists last year, which translates to an average of more than one a day. These statistics also reveal that such robberies increased by 41% compared to 2016.
The daring manner in which these crimes are committed shows how criminals have become emboldened.It was only a matter of time before the total disregard for the law and the constitution that was shown by our leaders in recent years trickled down to the masses. The media exposed countless allegations of wrongdoing - including the blatant looting by the Gupta family and their associates. But no one has been sent to prison. Public money was wasted in the construction of a leader's private house - but there is no criminal investigation.
The reluctance of law enforcement agencies to act against those in positions of influence has given criminals the impression that we are a lawless society and that they too can get away with murder.
We are still going to pay a high price for the destabilisation of the criminal agencies and the justice system as a whole under Jacob Zuma.
Former police minister Fikile Mbalula must be commended for having started the process to restore stability by appointing a full-time police commissioner and removing rogue elements such as the heads of the Hawks and of crime intelligence, Berning Ntlemeza and Richard Mdluli.
We all hoped that the appointment of former police commissioner Bheki Cele as Mbalula's successor meant we were going to turn the corner against crime. However, the criminals have proved us wrong. The failure of the crime intelligence unit to detect and intercept these criminals shows that Cele has his work cut out. In his current post his role in fighting crime is limited, because a minister cannot be expected to be involved in operational matters. But he is expected to create a conducive environment for police to do their job.He has already vowed to boost morale within the police force. This must be accompanied by the appointment of competent men and women to critical posts. Corrupt elements in the police service must be rooted out. There must be zero tolerance for nonperformers, so Cele must not hesitate to wield his axe.
But putting the brakes on the spate of cash-in-transit heists will require more. Cele will have to clean up crime intelligence to get rid of any remaining stench of Mdluli's influence. Only a crime intelligence unit that serves communities and not criminal networks can help us put these criminals behind bars.
However, we cannot rely on the state alone. Organised business must also come up with innovative ideas to fight such crimes. These must include how cash can be moved around without putting human life in danger. In addition, communities can assist by isolating and exposing criminal elements in our society. Community activists must play their role in sweeping criminals out of our neighbourhoods.
Unless South Africans act, and act now, we are headed towards becoming a lawless society ruled by criminals...