CIT bomber's body found in pieces, scattered

Police forensic teams combing the scene of the botched cash-in-transit (CIT) heist last week were stunned to find pieces of human flesh in people's yards and on rooftops. 

They made the gruesome discoveries as they searched for clues at a crime scene that could lead to the arrest of a gang of 10 men who were behind the failed bombing of the cash van on May 6 at Phola Park Extension 5 in Thokoza, on the East Rand.

It was initially reported that one suspect lost a leg when explosives used to detonate the cash van went off after the armed robbers rammed a silver BMW into the cash van, bringing it to a halt.  

It has now emerged that the robber whose leg was spotted on the scene had in fact died on the same day when he "blew himself up" with explosives while trying to attack the cash van. His dismembered body parts could now assist police gathering evidence about the gang behind the failed heist.

Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale told Sowetan yesterday that the suspected robber's chopped body parts were found on roof tops of the neighbouring houses at the corner of Khumalo and Murubisi streets.

Mogale said it was after police had arrived at the scene and the commotion had died down that residents started seeing mangled pieces of body parts in their yards and on the streets. Forensics got there and got the pieces, she said.

"His body was in pieces. It was not only the leg that was at the scene; other pieces were all over the neighbourhood and in people's yards. Other parts were found on top of people's roofs," said Mogale.

Now Hawks investigators are trying to use the pieces of human flesh found on the scene last week to build a profile of the suspect and possibly track down his gang to solve the crime. Mogale said no one has come forward to claim the body parts to date.

"If no one claims these pieces, they will be buried in a pauper's funeral. This is why we always tell people how dangerous it is to approach a cash van that had been bombed to pick up money after the robbers have left. Other explosives could not have detonated yet," she said.

According to police, residents who rushed to the scene when the explosion went off had initially thought the robbers had fled the scene with one of the injured men, leaving his leg behind. 

The incident has brought into sharp focus the scale and danger of CIT robberies in the country.

At least 76 CIT heists have been recorded in SA since the beginning of the year.

This means at least one heist was committed every two days since the beginning of the year. A total of 18 security guards have being killed to date in the robberies since January last year, according to Cash-in-Transit Association of SA (CitaSA).

Figures from CitaSA showed that KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most CIT robberies this year (34%), followed by Gauteng with 31%. “As from the beginning of May, 80% of the CIT robberies were perpetrated in Gauteng,” said CitaSA’s Grant Clark. 

However, he said, despite CIT heists showing some decline, the association is collaborating with various role players to attempt to stop them through sharing information, crime risk identification, cutting-edge technology and the offender-focused approach.

According to police crime statistics, 238 heists were recorded in 2021/22 and 2022/23. In 2023/24, the number dropped to 211, a decrease of 27 incidents.

A senior lecturer in forensic and criminal investigation science at Unisa, Dr Hennie Lochner, said the police will not win the war against CIT heists unless the perpetrators are arrested and convicted.

“I don’t think they [the police] are winning the war because you must understand how a CIT group is formed,” said Lochner. “After a successful robbery and the money has been divided, these men would go their separate ways, and every one of them is looking for a [next] target."

“While there might be a decline, if they do not arrest the criminals, then they will not win the war,” Lochner said. “The decline could be because some of the heists are being foiled by cops. But the issue is that after their attempts fail, the robbers go back and plan their next target, and the next robbery is much bigger."

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