Robbers loot R30 000 during heist in city centre

No arrest have been made yet following an armed robbery at the 7Eleven outlet on the corner of Dorp and Marshall streets where gun-yielding suspects allegedly looted approximately R30 000 on Friday evening prior to their getaway from the scene and an alleged shoot-out with Police.
Late on Saturday co-owner Jaco Rossouw, while still trying to come to terms with the incident, took Polokwane Observer through security camera footage. The material clearly shows a Mercedes-Benz sedan parked in front of the shop in Dorp Street facing in the direction of Suid Street at 20:16.
According to Rossouw the Police were allegedly aware of the suspicious vehicle roaming city streets as the suspects were reportedly involved in an earlier incident elsewhere in the city the same evening.
The footage shows a Police vehicle driving by in Marshall Street at 20:21. “It was learnt that they allegedly drove around the block to wait for the suspects on the corner of Dorp and Suid streets.
This was confirmed by a woman who passed two Police officers with their weapons drawn on the specific corner,” according to Rossouw.
The robbery took about three minutes before the suspects fled the scene. Rossouw indicated that Police allegedly tried to stop the robbers on the corner of Suid and Dorp streets but without success. “Some shots were allegedly fired in an attempt to stop them,” Rossouw said.
Getting back to the robbery Rossouw further indicated that his brother Danté, also a co-owner, in the meantime arrived for final preparation before locking up for the day.
At 20:26 three persons got out of the Mercedes-Benz and stormed the shop.
The driver remained in the vehicle. Two were armed with firearms. They immediately accosted the cashiers while one ran to the bakery department at the back of the shop where Danté was doing a final check on electrical appliances.
He pinned Danté to the floor and threatened him while pushing the firearm against his back. It is seen on the footage how the robber removes Dante’s wallet containing R2 000 and his cell phone from his pockets.
The supervisor was ordered to open all cash registers as well as the cash drawer to the Lotto machine.
The apparently unarmed robber continued to empty all the cash drawers as well as the float into a bag.
“The one robber also demanded the keys to the ATM in the shop but we do not keep such keys on the premises,” Rossouw explained.
Meanwhile, a customer walked into the store to buy airtime but the moment he saw what was happening he turned around and walked out.
The security guard also managed to escape and immediately phoned his control room while in hiding.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed the incident but he was not willing to elaborate on the shooting. He only indicated that the suspects are still unknown and that no arrests were made yet.
He further responded by saying: “That is our comment for now and we will update you later. We are communicating information to the media and not evidence, give us a space to proceed with our investigations.”

Story: RC Myburgh
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