At least nine suspected cash-in-transit (CIT) robbers have been shot dead in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg on Thursday. Three others were injured, said Gauteng police.
The three injured are receiving medical treatment under police guard in hospital.
Police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said members of the SAPS tactical response team (TRT) were following up on crime intelligence-driven information relating to suspects who were on their way to commit a CIT robbery on Thursday morning after 6am.
Mathe said the suspects were traced to an identified address in Sebokeng, where a shoot-out ensued between the armed suspects and police.
“A total of eight suspects were certified dead at the scene while the ninth suspect died in hospital. Three others were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Six rifles, six commercial explosives that were already assembled and ready to be detonated as well as four vehicles have been seized,” she said.
Mathe said members of the explosives unit have rendered the recovered explosives safe in the interest of the community.
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Police minister Bheki Cele said he is confident that police are making serious inroads in the fight against serious and violent crime.
Eight suspected cash-in-transit robbers were shot dead during a shootout with Gauteng police in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg.
The heist reportedly happened on Wednesday, April 6th, where two innocent bystanders were shot & killed, & an undisclosed amount of cash was stolen. pic.twitter.com/W391l10Oha
— Mamelodi Beacon (@MamelodiBeacon) April 6, 2023
“If they come hard on us, we came harder on them, it’s them and us on behalf of the community. We can’t co-govern, we can’t rule with criminals. We are asserting the authority of the state on behalf of our communities,” said Cele.
Meanwhile, Mathe said police are on high alert across the country ahead of the busy Easter weekend.
#Sebokengheist 8 suspects killed and 1 died in hospital after a cash-in-transit heist in Sebokeng. pic.twitter.com/OijntyNDsv
— Project CBNews (@ProjectCBNews) April 6, 2023
