The R56 outside Pietermaritzburg was turned into a warzone just after 17:15 on Wednesday evening, following a brazen cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery near the second Bainesfield offramp before Richmond.
A harrowing video circulating on social media shows motorists desperately turning around as gunfire erupts in the background.
ALS Paramedics, dispatched from their Cato Ridge Hospital Base, arrived at the scene to find absolute carnage. The cash van had been ambushed, and the scene stretched across a large area, with multiple vehicles riddled with bullet holes and some crashed as a result of the chaos.
SAPS and several private security teams responded swiftly, locking down the area as investigators combed through the scene. Bullet casings, wrecked vehicles, and debris littered the road, turning the usually quiet stretch into a crime scene.
Paramedics worked under pressure, triaging victims and stabilising the injured. Sadly, a man travelling in a taxi was caught in the crossfire and died on the scene from gunshot wounds.
Six others, including security personnel, sustained various injuries and were rushed to hospitals in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
The entire R56 was shut down for several hours as police began their investigation. Authorities have not confirmed whether any suspects were arrested or if any money was taken during the attack.
The brazen nature of this attack has once again raised alarm bells around the safety of CIT operations on South African roads—especially in KZN, which has seen a spike in such incidents.
Watch the video below:
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