MOPANI - Four Cash Paymaster Services security guards were seriously wounded during an armed robbery that took place along the road between Tzaneen and Letsitele last Friday morning at about 07:00. According to the spokesperson of the police in the Mopani area Capt Moatshe Ngoepe the four security officers were travelling in two vehicles when the incident occurred.

According to the police, the robbers used three vehicles, a Toyota Prado, a Toyota Corolla and a Mercedes Benz. Along the way two of the robbers’ vehicles overtook the security officers’ escorting vehicle and opened fire at the security vehicles. During the shooting the driver of the vehicle carrying cash lost control of the vehicle and it overturned several times. The robbers continued to shoot at the vehicles and ultimately the escorting vehicle also stopped. Eight mobile safes containing an undisclosed amount of money were stolen during the ordeal. The statement further indicates that the security guards were robbed off their mobile cellular phones and firearms during the incident. The robbers also hijacked another vehicle that passed by during the ordeal. The robbers left the Toyota Prado at the scene as it was seriously damaged.

The robbers dumped their three vehicles including the one that was hijacked at the scene, at a distance of about eight kilometres from the scene of the robbery. Upon investigation the police discovered that the Toyota Prado was hijacked along the NI-road between Hammanskraal and Pretoria a day before the incident. The robbers were still at large at the time of going to press. The police have appealed to anyone who has information regarding the incident to contact Capt Freddy Raseasala of the Mopani Serious and Violent Crimes Unit at 0824517178.