A robber was shot dead and a security guard wounded during a robbery in Thohoyandou on Monday. The incident, which resembled a Hollywood movie, happened at the entrance to the old Absa branch at the Mutsindo Mall.

It took place at about 09:30. Shoppers and clients of the bank scurried for cover when shots were fired. After the dust had settled, a robber lay dead next to the ATMs, while a security guard had sustained an injury to the hip.

The other robbers, said to be five, sped away with the cash in a car.

Eyewitnesses said that six men had arrived in a bakkie and surprised the security guards. They allegedly ordered the guards to hand over the cash they were delivering, but one guard resisted. He was shot in the hip and the money was snatched by the robbers, who then fled the scene in a car.

In the ensuing gun battle, a robber was shot dead. At this stage, it is not known whether the robber was shot by his accomplices or by the security guards.

News of the heist spread like wildfire and the whole area was swarming with onlookers who waited until the body was taken away. Different police components arrived from as far as Polokwane.

The body of the dead robber lay there for hours while the police combed the area for clues. The whole area around the surrounding shops was cordoned off and police and traffic officials had a hectic time trying to control the big crowd that had arrived from different parts of Vhembe.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo said their investigations had revealed that the man had been linked to a gang that was terrorising the community. He gave a stern warning to the other robbers that the police were on their heels and it was just a matter of time before they arrested them.

"We know them and they must just know that it is only a matter of time before we pounce on them. They will not have any place to hide," said Malelo. They had opened a cash-in-transit robbery case, he added.