An armed gang pulled off a daring and well-coordinated robbery in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Africa Truck Stop in Pomona, Gauteng, leaving staff and security guards tied up and two trucks stripped of their valuable copper cargo.
According to Juan Burger, Security Manager at One Stone Security, the incident unfolded in two parts. At 20:11 on 3 April, a white Freightliner Argosy truck (BJ 55 HC GP) towing blue tautliner trailers entered the premises. The driver claimed to be there for diesel and was booked in. Hours later, at 00:11 on 4 April, a second truck – a white Volvo FH440 (HP 54 HK GP) with blue side tipper trailers – followed the same procedure.
But this was no normal night. Shortly after the Volvo entered, heavily armed suspects emerged from the two trucks, wielding rifles and pistols. They overpowered the guards and staff, confiscating phones and panic buttons before tying everyone up in the truck stop’s entertainment area.
One suspect even donned a guard’s uniform and manned the exit gate to avoid suspicion.
In a chilling move, the robbers forced a security guard at gunpoint to conduct hourly patrols as usual, while petrol attendants were brought back to the pumps to serve customers — all under armed supervision.
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At 01:05, a white Toyota Quantum taxi (HW 47 LC GP) entered through the exit gate. Twelve more suspects — some carrying rifles — joined the operation. Under gunpoint, drivers and staff were forced to assist in offloading copper from two truck-trailer combos.
By 04:17, the operation was done. The suspects left the scene, abandoning the tied-up victims in the entertainment area. Miraculously, no serious injuries were reported.
The value of the stolen copper is still being assessed. According to Burger, one of the trucks involved has already been linked to other robberies — despite its false registration.
One Stone Security is working with the SAPS Provincial Investigation Unit to track down the suspects. Anyone with information is urged to contact Juan Burger on 0650844255. All tips will be treated confidentially.
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