Johannesburg - They had a signal jammer, a firearm, two vehicles and, allegedly, an ex-Bafana Bafana player on their team.
But the six-member gang’s plans to pull off a heist were foiled before they could leave the scene.
The Star understands that former Bafana and Jomo Cosmos star Lebogang Morula and five other men allegedly cornered SBV security guards in Ogies, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday morning while they were loading money at an ATM. The gang disarmed them before robbing them of an undisclosed amount of money.
While the robbery was in progress, a Hawks tactical team pounced on the group, having had information that the heist would take place.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said he could not confirm or deny whether Morula was one of the suspects arrested.
He said: “One of the suspects has already been linked to four serious cases, which, among others, include truck hijacking and armed robbery.”
It was not the first time Morula allegedly had a brush with the law.
In October 2011, it was reported that Morula and four Zimbabweans were arrested after they were allegedly found in possession of stolen goods worth R4.2 million.
Morula was out on bail at the time for a similar incident.
Acting head of the Hawks Major-General Mthandazo Ntlemeza said: “Criminals must be warned that we are ready to deal with them. We will not allow our communities to be terrorised by a lawless minority. We will disrupt all your operations, we will derail all your plans and we will ensure we remove you from society.”
He said the suspects, aged between 41 and 47, would appear in the Ogies Magistrate’s Court soon to face charges of armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and illegal possession of a network jammer.
The Star