The attack took place at the Sasol Emkhatsini Plaza, located on the corner of the provincial D226 and the R538 at 05:25.
According to the fuel station’s manager, Mr Hanco Terblanche, he was notified of the incident between 05:30 and 05:35.
“I received a telephone call and rushed to the scene,” he said.
The police, Bossies Community Justice, Hi-Tech Security and the traffic department rushed to assist at the scene and with surrounding traffic control. Terblanche explained what had happened.
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“Five employees were on duty yesterday morning. Three petrol attendants were manning the pumps and two cashiers were working inside the convenience store,” he said.
“A silver- or gold-coloured Audi with four or five passengers arrived. They were armed with R5 machine guns,” he added.
According to Terblanche, the robbers alighted from the vehicle and forced the station’s employees into a corner of the store. They approached the drop safe where cash was kept in the store and used explosives to open it.
The robbers emptied its cash and fled the scene.
“It all happened within four to five minutes,” a shocked Terblanche said yesterday morning.
He confirmed that none of his employees had been injured, but that they had been traumatised by the incident and transported to hospital. Terblanche said the store had been damaged to such an extent that, at time of going to print, business could not yet resume.
“However, I am unable to quantify the damage at this point in time,” he said.
The police’s Lt Col Erhard Ströh was on the scene with bomb technician, Const Christi Botha.
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When Nelspruit Post arrived shortly after the incident had occurred, they were awaiting the arrival of the SAPS’ fingerprint technicians.
