Ten people arrested in a connection with a cash-in-transit heist in the North West will appear in the Mahikeng Magistrate's Court on Monday‚ said the Hawks.

Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the heist occurred on September 30 in Mahikeng.

"The North West Hawks’ cash-in-transit team‚ assisted by Crime Intelligence and Mmabatho Flying Squad‚ launched an intense manhunt after the suspects allegedly bombed an armoured vehicle‚ disarmed the security guards of three firearms and fled the scene with a sizeable amount of money‚" he said.

Mulaudzi said three of the suspects are security guards.

"Their alleged stolen firearms were found dumped in a nearby bush‚ not far from the crime scene‚" he said. Two guns and ammunition were also recovered when police raided the homes of the suspects.

Meanwhile‚ police minister Bheki Cele’s office has announced that 12 suspects involved in another heist were arrested in Midrand on Friday.

"Proactive arrests of this nature are a clear sign of our commitment as the South African Police Service to fight crimes that instil unacceptable degrees of fear and terrorise South Africans. These are the results of the National Crime Prevention Strategy which is now in full gear‚" Cele said in a statement.