Durban – Five suspected cash-in-transit (CIT) robbers, believed to be responsible for a spate of heists across KwaZulu-Natal, have been fatally shot in a dramatic confrontation with police in Ridgeview, near Chesterville, on Wednesday afternoon. The suspects, who hail from Gauteng, were reportedly planning another robbery in the iLembe District when they were intercepted by law enforcement.
The incident follows a brazen CIT robbery on the M25 KwaMashu Highway on Monday afternoon, for which police have been actively searching for suspects. Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, KZN police spokesperson, confirmed that armed individuals had accosted a cash-in-transit vehicle, making off with an undisclosed sum of money. "The guards sustained minor injuries," Ngcobo stated.
The KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, stated that the men were notorious and wanted cash-in-transit heist perpetrators.
"The heist was meant to be in the Ilembe District, but they were disturbed by the police who were busy with [a] roadblock as well as stop and searches. This disturbed their plan, and they couldn't execute the heist. We were ready for them to move in that direction, but intelligence was able to trace them to here [Ridgeview]," said Mkhwanazi.
He added the police had been tracking the suspects for some time, saying their faces were known to them. Mkhwanazi said the officers were also aware of the suspects' tattoos.
#sapsKZN Five suspected cash in transit robbers who were #wanted for a string of cash in transit robberies in KwaZulu-Natal, including the one which happened on 31 March 2025 in KwaMashu were shot and fatally wounded in a shootout with police at Ridgeview near Chesterville on… pic.twitter.com/Y7CpUBglSq
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) April 2, 2025
"They were able to trace them, and we can confirm that they are from Gauteng… It's [their BMW] a clean car which means they did that as a decoy thinking that if they drive a legit car no one is going to suspect anything."
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda explained that the police were conducting an intelligence-led operation after gathering information that the suspects were planning to commit another cash-in-transit robbery in the vicinity of the iLembe District in the northern parts of KZN. He stated that heightened police visibility disrupted their plans, leading officers to track them down in Ridgeview.
“Police visibility in the area disturbed the suspects’ mission and intelligence located the suspects in Ridgeview,” Netshiunda said.
“Police identified the suspects’ vehicle and as they approached it, the suspects opened fire towards the police and a shootout ensued. During the shootout, all five suspects were shot and fatally wounded. Four firearms were found in the possession of the suspects.
Netshiunda confirmed that the suspects were from Gauteng, with one believed to be a kingpin responsible for multiple CIT robberies across the country.
"The suspects were from the Gauteng province and one of them is believed to be a kingpin who was behind several cash in transit robberies around the country. The operation continues in search of other suspects," said Netshiunda.
It is understood the police had tailed the suspects in Ridgeview. After the suspects picked up something from their hideout, they noticed the police officers as they were leaving, and a shootout ensued.
The bodies of four men were inside a BMW believed to be a getaway vehicle, while a fifth body lay on the road. Three pistols and a shotgun as well as fancy new clothes were found in the suspect's BMW.
The cash-in-transit robbery on the M25 KwaMashu Highway on Monday saw armed suspects accost a cash-in-transit vehicle, stealing an undisclosed amount of money.
Videos of the robbery have since gone viral on social media.
Private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) boss Prem Balram said, according to reports, multiple heavily armed suspects travelling in two vehicles forcefully stopped the cash van.
"The suspects attached explosives to the vehicle and detonated it in peak traffic. The heavily armed males robbed the security officers of their firearms and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.
"They fired multiple shots from high-calibre weapons before they sped off in a white Ford SUV and a silver Toyota Corolla."
Balram said a member of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) was on patrol in the nearby vicinity when he noticed vehicles travelling contraflow on the M25.
"A motorist flagged the Reaction Officer down and informed him of the robbery in progress. The Officer requested additional backup as he approached the scene."
The police operation remains ongoing as officers continue the search for additional suspects and to determine if the deceased were linked to other CIT robberies in the province.
