Cashless economy could be key to curbing CIT robberies

Amount of physical cash in circulation would decrease

- MASABATA MKWANANZI

AS SOUTH Africa's ongoing cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies continue claiming innocent lives, proponents of a cashless economy are amplifying their voices.

They argue that with fewer cash transactions, the amount of physical cash in circulation would decrease, making CIT vehicles less attractive and lucrative targets for criminals.

This comes in the wake of two bystanders who were gunned down during a violent CIT heist on Barry Marais Road in Dawn Park, Ekurhuleni, on Monday.

Police said a cash delivery vehicle was bumped from the back by a silver Mercedes-Benz, causing the truck to capsize onto a Toyota Quantum taxi, which had seven occupants.

"Five of the occupants sustained injuries and were given medical treatment while the other two escaped with no injuries," said Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.

She said a group of about eight assailants bombed the cash delivery vehicle and fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

Gunshots were exchanged during the heist between security officials and the robbers.

Two bystanders were caught in the crossfire and have been declared dead.

In May, IOL reported how KwaZulu-Natal was rocked by two brazen CIT heists within just a few days, prompting heightened police vigilance.

In the first incident, a gang of ten armed suspects rammed a cash van in Pietermaritzburg. A security guard was shot, and the assailants fled with stolen firearms and an undisclosed sum of money.

Barely days later, chaos erupted on the M25 KwaMashu Highway when gunmen in two vehicles ambushed another cash van in broad daylight. The suspects opened fire and used explosives to halt the vehicle, leaving the guards with minor injuries while escaping with cash.

Footage of the attack soon went viral on social media, capturing the dramatic moment explosives were strapped to the van and detonated amid peak-hour traffic.