An intense and sustained gun battle with the police forced a group of heavily armed men to flee after they had robbed a cash-in-transit van in Witbank on Monday.
The shootout ensued after about 20 suspects pounced on security guards who were driving in a cash van along the Kriel Road.
Reports say the suspects were driving in a convoy of vehicles that included three Ford Rangers and a Toyota Hilux.
The cash van was forcefully stopped and the guards were held at gunpoint before the robbers detonated explosives to open one of the cash boxes.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, spokesperson for police in Mpumalanga, explained: “Members from Witbank visible policing were patrolling near the vicinity when they realised that the guards were under attack.
“The men and women in blue were challenged into a shootout with the suspects for several minutes. The engagement was too heavy for the suspects, who realised that the police were not backing down.
“They had no choice but to flee in their vehicles. No SAPS [SA Police Service] members were reportedly injured during the shooting.”
Mohlala said a security officer who was inside the cash van was seriously injured when the suspects detonated the explosives. He is recovering in the hospital.
The suspects are still at large and investigations are under way. A case of robbery, attempted murder and contravention of Explosives Act has been opened.
Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela, provincial police commissioner in Mpumalanga, said: “We are closing in all the spaces for criminals in this province.
“We want to continue to maintain our presence and ensure that this province is not a playground for perpetrators of crime.
“We are very proud of the calibre of members on the ground for the bravery that they continuously display.”
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