Johannesburg - Armed robbers appear to have intercepted deliverymen in Soweto, shot one of them and fled with countless cellphones and SIM cards.
By the time the gunmen beat a retreat, the doors of the delivery truck were hanging open, boxes packed with cellphones were scattered on the ground and one of the men was in a critical condition.
The pair worked for a courier company and were on their way to deliver the goods in Mofolo, Soweto, when they were attacked.
Police spokesman Major Jack Mngomezulu said there were two people in the van - a driver and a security guard.
He said they had stopped at a house to deliver a SIM card. When one of them approached the house, the robbers held him at gunpoint.
“We suspect that the robbers had been following them for some time,” Mngomezulu said.
He added that the robbers bundled the two men into the back of the delivery van and drove to Mofolo Park, where the security guard was later shot.
It is not known why he was shot, but Mngomezulu suspects he may have put up a fight.
After shooting the guard, the gunmen took the boxes containing cellphones and SIM cards out of the back of the van.
The boxes were sealed with tape, but the robbers cut them open and took out the contents.
As the guard lay bleeding on the ground, the men fled the scene.
Paramedics arrived in an ambulance and rendered emergency treatment while the rain pelted down. The wounded man kept lifting his head while paramedics rushed him to a waiting helicopter.
His jeans were soaked in blood, and due to the severity of his injuries, it was decided to airlift him to hospital.
Police officers descended on the scene afterwards, combing the area in search of clues.