In March, Police Minister Bheki Cele shared his frustrations at the “stubbornly high” cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies which in recent weeks have continued unabated.
The SAPS reported, at the time, that there were 64 incidents of CIT robberies reported between January and March 2023.
Following a recent surge in CIT heists, following this weekend’s robbery in Soweto, Durban and Ekurhuleni, the Cash-in-Transit Association of South Africa (CITASA) said it has become worried with the more than 30% of the CIT robbery increase in 2023.
This, as the industry expects a spike in robberies due to the festive season effect.
According to the latest CITASA report, the industry has seen a total of 249 cash-in- transit robberies across the country in the period January – October, compared to just 191 in 2022 and 188 in 2021.
The latest spate of CIT robberies, across the country, has sparked concerns amongst those in the industry.
On Saturday, the N12 in Johannesburg was closed off after a CIT robbery when a cash van was blown up and a female BMW driver taken hostage and forced at gunpoint to drive suspects towards Soweto.
It is reported that the suspects subsequently got off near Diepkloof and ran towards other getaway vehicles.
On Friday, police in KwaMashu shot four suspects dead following another incident in the township.
The latest incident which took place in the eThekwini District involved four suspects who were believed to have been involved in a spate of CIT robberies in the eThekwini District.
In another similar incident, a cash delivery vehicle was attacked in Folweni on Tuesday, in which a security guard was shot dead, and another rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.
Clark said the worst is yet to come and with the sharp increase in robberies, the industry is concerned as October, which has just begun, has seen at least 10 incidents.
“In October, we have already had 10 incidents and we haven’t even got through most of the month. Normally this time of year we see a spike in the incidents in the November and mid-December period, so it’s extremely concerning,” Clark said.
“We see an increase of +8% year-on-year, from January to September 2023, versus those incidents that happened in 2022 in CIT robberies. This indicates that the CIT robberies increased since the third quarter of 2023,” Clark added.
According to CITASA, there was a slight lull in the number of robberies last month. This, he said, was due to the collaborative efforts between the SAPS and various stakeholders.
“After the successes of the SAPS during September, CIT robberies nationally decreased by 23%, from August to September 2023”.
Clark further added that the CIT robberies tended to increase towards the festive season and cautioned South Africans to report suspicious activities to the SAPS.
“At 32% of heists just this year alone, Gauteng is the province with the highest incidents of CIT robbery for 2023 year-to-date, followed by the Eastern Cape, with 23%, KwaZulu-Natal, with 16%, Limpopo at 11% and Mpumalanga, with 9%.
“Nationally, 59% of the CIT robberies in 2023 year-to-date are directed at the armoured vehicles, and 31% are cross pavement attacks,” Clark added.
Clark indicated that the majority of the robberies took place in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, followed by Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Although the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) arrested more than 600 alleged robbers in the first three months of the year, CIT heists continued to be a "thorn in the country's economy," according to Godfrey Lebeya, the chief of the Hawks, last month.
In spite of collaborations with organisations such as CITASA to increase security and engage in proactive measures, the robberies remained high.
“For the period under review, 27 arrests were made for CIT robberies while there were six convictions with combined sentences totalling 121 years.
“Most of the arrests relate to fraud, which accounts for 203 suspects, while money laundering amassed 48 suspects and 72 suspects were arrested for narcotics and endangered species.
“The remaining 288 suspects were arrested for the 17 types of national priority crimes,” Lebeya said.
Lebeya added that the Hawks arrested 611 suspects who appeared in court during the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year. Of those who appeared in court, 229 were convicted and sentenced.
Attempts to get comment from the SAPS on the number of incidents and interventions being considered ahead of the festive season were not successful at the time of going to print.
CEO of the Fidelity Services Group, Wahl Bartmann increasing visibility is key to fighting the scourge of CIT robberies.
“At least we would expect authorities to concentrate resources where the majority of the attacks are taking place. Within the Fidelity footprint the areas of concern are Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Gauteng. The safety of our officers is key. It is essential that we continuously evolve to defend against these changing tactics,” he said following the Springs CIT robbery.