Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
08 October 2023 | 11:50 CAT

Four suspects have been killed in a gun battle with police in KwaMashu, north of the Durban city centre, on Friday morning, KwaZulu-Natal police said. Picture: Yusuf Abramjee/Twitter/X

Cash-in-transit heists are rising as the country is gearing up for the end-of-the-year holiday season.

In the latest incident, four suspects believed to have been involved in a spate of cash-in-transit robberies (CIT) in the Durban area were shot dead in a shoot-out with police on Friday.

The shoot-out happened hours after an armoured cash vehicle was bombed in an attempted robbery on the N2 between KwaMashu and Nandi Drive in Durban on Thursday.

The N2 southbound was closed after the incident.

Over the past three days, two separate cash van robberies have been in the KwaMashu township.

Three people were injured on Wednesday when a CIT van was bombed on Malandela Road in KwaMashu.

In another incident, a guard died, and two others were injured during a CIT robbery near Folweni, south of Durban, on Tuesday.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Jay Naicker said they received a tip-off that the men were hiding in a house in KwaMashu.

He said that when police approached the house, the occupants started shooting at them, resulting in the police returning the fire.

“When police announced their presence, the suspects started firing at them, leaving police with no alternative but to return fire and a shoot-out ensued. Four suspects sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The suspects, two of whom are from Limpopo, were found in possession of four firearms — an AK47 rifle, an R5 rifle and two pistols as well as numerous rounds of ammunition,” he said.

Naicker said a large quantity of explosives, several vehicle number plates, some of them Limpopo registration plates, and signal jammers were found in possession of the suspects.

Listen to the full interview on the Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.