The provincial Hawks spokesperson, Tlangelani Rikhotso, says they were part of a group of armed suspects who robbed a G4S AV truck in Klerksdorp on 17 March 2011 after they fired at it and forced it to stop. She says the suspects subsequently disarmed the guards before they fled the scene with R3.6 million. Rikhotso tells OFM News that so far they have 11 ongoing court cases in various courts in the province. She says the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit swiftly linked the pair to the crime and they were arrested in Jouberton on 23 March 2011, a week after the incident.

Rikhotso says Rantsho was sentenced to five years whilst Molwantwa got ten years. Meanwhile, the provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Patrick Mbotho, commended the investigative efforts of the team. Between 2008 and 2018, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) said that over 2,900 heists took place, while SAPS data shows around 2,150.

The SAPS reported that there was a 57% increase in cash-in-transit heists in South Africa between April 2017 and March 2018, with 238 cases being reported, versus 152 cases previously. However, Sabric says its numbers point to 385 heists taking place over the period – which would make it a 153% jump.

The numbers also do not align with a presentation made by the Hawks earlier in the month, where it said that over 1,900 cash-in-transit heists were recorded between 2008 and 2016. SAPS data puts the number just over 1,750.

OFM News