Courts, cops closing net on Pretoria cash-in-transit heists

A 48-year-old man was recently sentenced to 18 years in prison for a Bronkhorstspruit cash-in-transit heist that happened in February 2020.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said Norman Kutumela (48), was convicted for the cash-in-transit (CIT) heist of a G4S van on the R513 in Bronkhorstspruit.

“It was reported that on the day of the incident a G4S armoured vehicle was derailed by an unknown number of suspects along R513, Bronkhorstspruit in the Ekangala area.

“They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash after disarming the guards. Whilst fleeing the scene they were confronted by members of the Pretoria flying squad resulting in a shootout which left one member [officer] injured,” Ramovha said.

Ramovha said Kutumela and two other suspects were arrested in a house in Ekangala the same year.

“At the house, three firearms, cash and a grey Mercedes Benz were recovered. Kutumela remained in custody until his conviction on Thursday [September 8].”

He said two of Kutumela’s co-accused turned state witnesses during the trial.

“The Ekangala magistrate’s court has sentenced Kutumela to direct 18 years imprisonment and he was further declared unfit to possess a firearm in the future in terms of the Firearm Control Act.”

This is a second sentencing of Pretoria CIT heist accused in recent months.

In July, the North Gauteng high court sentenced four security officers to 30 years in prison each for a CIT robbery of a SBV cash truck on the N4 highway near Bronkhorstspruit in the east of Pretoria.

According to court documents, on January 7, 2020 Henrico Fourie (39), Josiah Lucas Maseko (48), Morris Fanie Mbuyani (30) and Lazarus Ntlatleng (28) bombed an SBV cash truck and stole more than R25-million in cash.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said Fourie, former head of SBV logistics department at the Waltloo cash centre, recruited and conspired with two other SBV employees, Ntlatleng (a crew member) and David Tolo (a driver), who was granted indemnity from prosecution.

“Their first attempt was on December 27, 2019 but failed as there were no explosives. Their second attempt was on January 3, 2020, but failed as there were no vehicles to ram the SBV truck and the police were visible on the N4 freeway. They only succeeded on their third attempt (January 7, 2020).

“A Mercedes Benz was used to ram the SBV truck off the road, whereupon the accused fired shots, Tolo and Ntlatleng were told to exit the truck, and explosives were used to cause an explosion. A value of more than R25-million was taken from the safe and shared among each other.

“In court, all robbers pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.”

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