The trend of attacks on cash-in-transit vans and personnel has been spiralling out of control, with as much as over ten incidents taking place over the past two weeks across the country, with many of the security guards being injured and some even killed.
Closer to home, near Heuweloord, another security guard fell victim to such violence, after being shot during an armed attack earlier this week.
The cash-in-transit security guard was shot and wounded during an attack on a cash-in-transit van at the Celtis Ridge Shopping Centre on Monday, May 28, at around 11:30am.
The manager of the Celtis Ridge Spar, on Ruimte Road, Neville Govender, said that G4S had just picked up the takings from Spar’s cash office, when the security guard was pounced on by four armed thugs.
"The guard who was taking the cash to the van had just exited Spar when, out of nowhere, four thugs armed with what seemed to be rifles and pistols surrounded him and told him to drop the money. The guard, fearing for his life, dropped the bag containing the cash and hastily made his way back to the G4S security van parked in front of the store. The thugs must have thought that the guard was going to get backup or a firearm, because once the guard reached the rear of the van, they wildly opened fire at the guard, wounding him in the leg," Neville recalled.
"The entire incident must have taken only a minute to happen. The thugs then fired shots into the air to clear, I think, their path out of the shopping centre and people began running for cover as they heard the shots ring out. They got away and left the G4S guard on the ground, with blood pouring out from his wounded right leg. I am just glad that no one was fatally injured by the barrage of bullets fired by the criminals,” added Neville.
ER24's Russel Meiring said a guard was shot in the leg during the Centurion heist.
"He was treated by paramedics and provided with pain relief medication, before being transported by another service to a nearby hospital. A pregnant woman at the scene was also assessed by ER24 paramedics. Assessments showed that the woman had escaped injuries although she was visibly shaken.”
Manager of Celtis Ridge Spar, Neville Govender, said that the thugs appeared out of nowhere.
The Celtis Ridge Spar, outside where the cash-in-transit guard was robbed and shot.