Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicles recovered had been reported stolen in previous incidents.
A cash-in-transit (CIT) heist on Saturday, 10 January 2026, led to an extensive police operation along Elias Motsoaledi Road in Soweto.
Two suspects were eventually apprehended by the police.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of Saturday morning when unidentified suspects attacked a CIT vehicle and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
The authorities later established a second crime scene in Meadowlands, where vehicles believed to be linked to the robbery were discovered.
How Soweto CIT heist unfolded
Addressing the media at the scene, Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni told journalists that the person responsible for escorting the cash vehicle was taken by surprise when he heard gunfire.
He explained that the van lost control and rolled over as a result of the attack.
“Out of that, instantly, the robbers then came out and they set the explosive and the cash van exploded. An undisclosed amount of money was taken,” Mthombeni said.
According to Mthombeni, the police quickly obtained descriptions of the vehicles believed to have been used in the robbery.
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After receiving information the police’s Crime Intelligence, law enforcement authorities including the Hawks linked to form a multidisciplinary team.
“They followed information approximately three to five kilometres from this crime scene in Meadowlands. Then they ultimately got the vehicles which fit the description.
“The BMW, which is having a bullet hole and they’re saving the cartridges inside the car and Nissan hardbody double cab.”
Stolen vehicles linked to hijackings
Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicles recovered had been reported stolen in previous incidents.
The Nissan was reported hijacked in North West in October 2025, while the BMW had been stolen in Randfontein the same year.
“We have since now got two people, of which we are questioning, and we believe those two vehicles, they are the vehicles which were involved in the cash-in-transit along this route,” Mthombeni said.
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The police confirmed that no fatalities resulted from the robbery, although security personnel were injured during the incident.
“There were three security guards and as the cash van was rolling, they got some injuries of which they were taken to the hospital.”
Mthombeni added that the police recovered one pistol, believed to belong to one of the security guards, while the other two firearms remain unaccounted for.
‘We will not retreat’
The Gauteng police commissioner indicated that the province has intensified efforts to combat CIT robberies, crediting a coordinated strategy for the swift arrests.
“Those people who are engaged [in CIT heists], it’s like they are really attempting suicide and if they are daring, they are not stopping, they’ll meet their match and we will not retreat.
“As we know that we are primarily responsible for the prevention of crime and one would say, they’ll feel like they were not supposed to be born in this world.”
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