Tongaat central business district, about 40km from Durban, was rocked by a brazen armed robbery this morning when a group of armed men hit a jewellery store in Gopalall Hurbans Road.

The robbers opened fire on a Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) vehicle that was in the vicinity and had swiftly responded to a call for assistance.

“As our security officer approached the store, a volley of shots was fired at his vehicle by the fleeing robbers, who used high-calibre weapons. They sped off towards Watson Highway in a silver Toyota Corolla, a silver ix35 [Hyundai], and a black VW Polo,” says RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram.

He adds that nine spent cartridges were recovered.

Community Emergency Response Team spokesperson Riza Sadack says the robbers allegedly made off with all of the jewellery displayed on the store’s shelves. They also took a cellphone from a security officer and absconded with the CCTV camera’s hard drive, Sadack says.

One customer suffered a minor injury – a cut on her leg caused by shattered glass.

At the time of publishing, Tongaat police were still on the scene.