Durban - A gang of gunmen unsuccessfully tried to rob a cash-in-transit (CIT) vehicle in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday morning.
SBV confirmed there was an attempted CIT attack on an SBV team in the Ixopo area.
Three SBV employees were attacked by the gunmen who surrounded the SBV vehicle and opened fire.
Our team successfully defended a #CITAttack this morning in KwaZulu Natal. We are proud of the bravery shown by our team. Our driver was injured but is recovering. Our thoughts are with his family and colleagues. pic.twitter.com/1mehrQ1TyI
— SBV SouthAfrica (@SBVSouthAfrica) May 9, 2022
SBV Services chief executive Mark Barrett confirmed one of the SBV employees was injured during the attack and was receiving medical attention.
He also confirmed no cash was taken.
“Our thoughts are with our employee and his family, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
“On behalf of the entire company, we salute our team for their bravery and are extremely proud of the quick and evasive action taken by them in this unsuccessful attack. SBV’s team applied their training skills and followed proper procedures. They saved their lives and the lives of their colleagues and were extremely brave.
“This was a severe attack and our team demonstrated courage and persistence in averting the criminals involved. Our thoughts are with our team members and their families for the trauma sustained because of this attack,” Barrett said.
“SBV will not tolerate any attacks that place our employees’ lives at risk or the money that we move. Our message to these criminals is clear: we are well prepared, well trained, and invest heavily in the latest technology to track and protect our teams. SBV’s Risk and Compliance team works with the authorities to apprehend the suspects involved in attacks against SBV. We never close a case until it is solved.”
Attempted #CITRobbery between Richmond and Ixopo: successfully defended by @SBVSouthAfrica Driver injured but not seriously, all other staff safe and did extremely well to defend the attack with no cash loss.
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 9, 2022
SBV said it could not comment further as an investigation was under way and it was co-operating with the police who were investigating the incident.
SBV has appealed to anyone who has any information on the attack to contact its hotline at 083 408 7029. The line is active 24/7 and callers have been assured that confidentiality would be maintained.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said KZN police were investigating cases of attempted murder and attempted cash in transit following a failed cash in transit robbery along the R56 route in Richmond on Monday morning.
Netshiunda said reports indicated that a CIT vehicle was allegedly ambushed by an unknown number of suspects who were driving in three vehicles.
“The suspects are alleged to have fired several shots at the cash in transit vehicle and wounded a 39-year-old driver before fleeing the scene. No money was reported stolen during the incident,” Netshiunda said.
“Police preliminary investigation revealed that two of the vehicles which were used during the commission of the crime were reported to have been hijacked along the same route earlier on Monday morning.”
Netshiunda said the injured security guard was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the suspects is urged to contact the nearest police station or call our crime stop number 08600 10111 or through the MySAPS App which can be downloaded on any smartphone.
Daily News