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- Five people were shot and killed during a cash-in-transit robbery in Hoedspruit in Limpopo on Wednesday.
- One was a driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle and four were suspected robbers.
- Three suspects were injured and are in hospital under police guard.
Five people were shot and killed during an armed robbery and subsequent high-speed chase between robbers and members of a community crime watch group in Limpopo.
The Hawks' Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke said the armed robbers targeted a G4S armoured vehicle and its escort car near Hoedspruit towards Tzaneen on Wednesday.
The alleged robbers drove a white Toyota Fortuner, a white Ford Focus and a white Toyota Hilux.
Maluleke said they shot at the escort vehicle, bringing it to a standstill.
They instructed the crew to disembark before disarming them. Two crew members were injured and the driver died from gunshot wounds.
The robbers used explosives to break into the vehicle to steal an undisclosed amount of cash.
A community crime watch group, Hoedspruit Farmwatch, was alerted to the incident and went in pursuit of the robbers, putting obstacles on the road to prevent their escape. A shootout ensued.
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Maluleke said the crime watchers returned fire in self-defence, resulting in the deaths of four suspects.
A 28-year-old suspect injured during the shootout was hospitalised.
Maluleke said two remaining robbers abandoned their vehicles and fled the scene.
On Thursday, the crime watch crew deployed a chopper and dogs to search for the two suspects, who were arrested while trying to escape in a taxi to Acornhoek in Mpumalanga. The pair had visible injuries and had the stolen money on them.
The Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation responded to the scene and arrested the two suspects. They also confiscated the stolen cash, an assault rifle and firearms.
Maluleke said three suspects were in hospital under police guard and will appear in court soon.
