Robbers escape with undisclosed amount of cash
He said the men had blockaded the road from Badplaas' side with another truck, not allowing any cars to pass in Barberton's direction. "I parked my car a few metres away from the scene to investigate what was happening. Moments later I heard two gunshots and I then drove away. I don't know what happened afterwards," he said.
A cash-in-transit heist on the R38 between Barberton and Badplaas had motorists and passengers ducking for cover.
An eyewitness, Fanie Zulu, who was among the first to arrive on the scene, said he saw a G4S Security truck and an escorting vehicle being shot at, resulting in broken windscreen glass being scattered all over the road.
According to Zulu, a gang of robbers shot and forced the truck and vehicle off the road just after 17:00 on Monday.
He spoke to Barberton Times telephonically and said he was shaken up by what he had seen.
“I was driving in the direction of Badplaas from Barberton when I came across what looked like a car accident just after I had passed the white entrance gate to Nelshoogste. The robbers looked like they had planned the heist professionally. One of them was standing in the middle of the road carrying a big riffle, which looked like an AK-47, while others had ordered the security guards and motorists and passengers passing by to lie down in the road. The suspects were wearing reflector jackets and it appeared as if they were assisting with the accident,” said Zulu.
He said the men had blockaded the road from Badplaas’ side with another truck, not allowing any cars to pass in Barberton’s direction. “I parked my car a few metres away from the scene to investigate what was happening. Moments later I heard two gunshots and I then drove away. I don’t know what happened afterwards,” he said.
“I was traumatised by the events as I almost collided head-on with an Audi which one of the the robbers had been using. The Audi did a U-turn and I missed it by inches. What if I had hit them? I would have been shot with the AK-47. I am still in shock,” he said.
The Badplaas Police Station referred all enquiries regarding the incident to the Barberton SAPS as it had occurred within their jurisdiction.
At the time of going to print, there was no official comment from the Barberton police.
According to EMR Barberton, the robbers used three vehicles during the incident. It is alleged that the suspects rammed into the escorting vehicle, which then collided with a Quantum believed to have been transporting workers from a nearby mine. Multiple gunshots were fired. The suspects then bombed the G4S truck. They fled with an unknown amount of cash. One security guard was reportedly seriously injured.
