By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Police Minister Bheki Cele confirms that eight suspects were shot and killed during the shooting in Rosettenville, South of Johannesburg.
Cele said eight others were arrested.
The suspects were going to commit a cash-in-transit heist and vehicles recovered are hijacked and high powered, said the minister.
He said majority of firearms recovered were AK47s with double magazines and R4s and they also discovered explosives including petrol at the scene.
This group has been monitored by police since last week but they abandoned their plans and we are working with heartless people who are prepared to kill, added Cele.
“Last week they didn’t commit their crime, so today they decided to commit their crime [but] our teams were just behind them and when they realised that here are the police, they were rushing to their safe house. “That is when our team, highly trained have dealt with them.”
The gang was made up of about 25 gunmen from KwaZulu-Natal, Zimbabwe and Botswana, Cele said.
According to Netcare 911’s Shawn Herbst, two police officers were also shot during the incident.
“Shortly after 4pm, Netcare 911 received information regarding a shooting, possibly a hostage situation, at a location near the South Rand Hospital. When medics arrived on scene, there was a full gun fight that had broken out between the suspects, SAPS and JMPD. Two police officers have been shot, and found in a critical condition, due to the nature of their injuries they were airlifted to specialist hospitals in Gauteng, “Herbst said.
Two Netcare911 helicopters were dispatched near the South Rand Hospital amid a chaotic shooting incident.
Cele confirmed that four police officers were shot and wounded, including the two officers that were airlifted to hospital.
Meanwhile Gauteng police have launched a manhunt after an innocent bystander was shot dead during a cash-in-transit robbery outside a business outlet in Eden Park on Sunday.
The 38-year-old man died after a group of armed men accosted cash guards, opening fire randomly at the cash van.
The incident took place just after 12:30, police said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said the man was certified dead at the scene by medical emergency personnel.
“Reports from the scene indicate that during the incident, the armed men began randomly shooting towards the cash van before fleeing the scene on foot with at least three bags of cash,” said Mathe.
“Other vehicles in the vicinity of the business outlet were also shot at and damaged as a result of the shooting.”
Mathe added that while all resources had been mobilised in a bid to apprehend those responsible for the armed robbery and murder of the innocent bystander, police appealed to anyone with information on this crime to contact the Eden Park police station and or call the Crime Stop Hotline number on 0860 010 111.
“Police have since embarked on the process to locate the family of the innocent bystander. His name will be released once his next of kin have all been informed,” said Mathe.