WATCH: Cash-in-transit workers to take to streets
Cash-in-transit workers plan on marching in major cities on Tuesday in reaction to the surge in heists.
Photo for illustrative purposes. The aftermath of a CIT heist.
Cash-in-transit (CIT) workers plan on taking to the streets in major cities on Tuesday following a spate of heists around the country, News24 has reported.
Members from the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) and the Motor Transport Workers Union (MTWU) are expected to march in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Last week, MTWU and South Africa’s major CIT companies met to discuss the march.
SBV Services said in a statement that it fully supported the action.
READ MORE: From the horse’s mouth: how thugs pull off cash-in-transit heists
In Johannesburg, the march commences at 9.30am in Braamfontein at De Korte Street. Participants will walk to Beyers Naude Square via Jorissen, Biccard and Simmonds, to hand over a memorandum to Gauteng community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane.
“Our industry is faced with a severe crisis as a result of the daily spate of cash-in-transit attacks that threaten the safety of our employees and members of the public,” SBV services CEO Mark Barrett said in a statement.
“SBV stands united with all stakeholders in the cash services sector in the fight against cash-in-transit violence and crime. The safety of our people, the public, our customers and our service levels are at all times a key priority for SBV.”
MTWU spokesperson Hlasinyane Motaung previously said the union had called on security companies to intensify training and for issues around firearm licences to be resolved.
READ MORE: Cash-in-transit heists threatening SA economy – officials
Earlier in the month, The Citizen reported the renewed surge in attacks on armoured trucks that transport vast amounts of money between retailers and banks was hurting South Africa’s economy, according to officials, given that the bulk of transactions in the country are still conducted in hard cash.
CIT attacks had been on the wane after peaking at 467 in 2006-07, but have spiked higher again over the past year. Data from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) suggests 278 heists were reported in 2016, jumping significantly to 378 last year.
To date in 2018, more than 140 attacks have occurred. Industry officials are reluctant to give the rand value of the money stolen, but it is probably billions, given that there is about R136 billion circulating in cash in South Africa’s economy.
Cash represents about 58% of South Africa’s gross domestic product, and 80% to 84% of all transactions are conducted in cash, making the robberies a serious concern, said Richard Phillips, CEO of cash management company Cash Connect.
For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.
#SecurityHeroes CIT guards protest in Durban. @MakeSAsafe pic.twitter.com/SKjpKk0rpl
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/Slindelo_M/status/1006449887209193473
Update. They are in Braamfontein now pic.twitter.com/KZlAdBfePy
— Sicelo Gazide (@_uGazidee10) June 12, 2018
