A bakkie was almost obliterated and two security officials were shot on Wednesday morning during in a cash-in-transit robbery.

Fidelity Security CEO Wahl Bartmann said the robbers used “way too much” explosives which damaged some of the cash the one-tonne armed Toyota Hilux bakkie was transporting. “All that is basically left of that thing is the cab‚ the armoured part in front.”

Bartmann said the crime scenes of cash-in-transit robberies are often strewn with cash when explosives blow open the roof. After the Wednesday heist the money was found underneath the bakkie‚ because of the excessive amount of explosives used.

The bakkie left Mahikeng early in the morning to deliver social grant payouts when it was forced off the road at about 6am by three vehicles. The robbers started firing at the bakkie and brought it to a halt close to Disaneng before stealing an undisclosed amount of money.

The driver was shot three times and one security officer was shot once. The other two security officials were unharmed. Bartmann said the two victims were rushed to hospital in a critical condition‚ but said it is unclear where they have been hospitalised and what injuries they sustained.

Fidelity Security is the national transporter of social grants. According to Bartmann they have about a thousand vehicles on the road daily. “We try to put in place a lot of preventative measures.”

Bartmann said there is an increase in cash-in-transit robberies and that vehicles are being bombed due to their improving security technology.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso said no arrests have been made.