In a dramatic turn of events, a daring attack on five out of nine FNB ATMs at Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, was allegedly led by a lanky man wearing a long red dress and disguised as a woman.
The alleged mastermind, who appeared to be highly energetic and took charge of the operation, was captured in CCTV footage shared with the SAPS.
Centre manager Stephina Lebepe, said: “There was a guy in the footage wearing a red dress. I can’t say whether he was their leader or not, but he was the first to come running towards the ATMs. He was tall and he could run. He was so energetic; maybe that is why they put him at the front,” she said.
She said the incident took place in the early hours of Sunday and that CCTV footage showed that it lasted from 1.09am to 2.05am.
She said the man in a red dress led a group of 30 men, who had on masks to hide their faces.
Upon arriving at the scene, the perpetrators parked their getaway vehicles outside the mall's perimeter and began firing gunshots into the air, allegedly to intimidate people in the area.
Lebepe said: “At that time the police had not arrived. I think they fired the shots just to scare the police by the sounds of rifles they had.”
According to her, the gang forcibly broke through a pedestrian gate to gain access to the mall's premises, while other members of the group remained stationed outside.
CCTV footage revealed the perpetrators using explosives to blow up the ATMs and Lebepe said they escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
“Our shoppers are safe and when the incident happened there was no one around here. I don’t think the incident will scare away our customers. We beefed up our security. We have one of the best CCTV cameras that you can get out there,” she said.
Lebepe explained that despite having security personnel on site, they were vastly outnumbered by the robbers, who were heavily armed with rifles.
The mall is located a stone’s throw away from the local police station and Lebepe said police officers responded swiftly and in large numbers.
On Monday, shoppers visiting the mall expressed mixed sentiments, with some saying they have become accustomed to accepting crime as an unfortunate part of their daily reality.
Peter Motloba said: “I can’t say I will not come to the mall because of what happened. Crime can happen everywhere, even in the community where I live.”
Other shoppers echoed similar concerns, expressing fear that a robbery could occur at any moment, but emphasised that this fear would not prevent them from visiting the mall.
Gauteng SAPS spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, said police have launched a manhunt for the gang that allegedly bombed five ATMs at the mall in the early hours of Sunday.
He said: “It is reported that the security guard was conducting patrols outside the mall when he was accosted by the suspects who were driving in a bakkie. The suspects robbed him of his firearm and proceeded inside the shopping mall, where they robbed the second security officer of his cellphone.”
He said the suspects allegedly bombed five ATMs and broke into one of the shops where they also bombed the drop safe.
“As they were leaving the shopping mall, the suspects met with the police officers and started firing shots. A shootout ensued between the police, private security officers, and the suspects. One of the security officers was shot and wounded. He was taken to the nearest medical care centre for treatment,” he said.
No arrests were made and police are still on the look-out for the suspects.
Masondo said: “It cannot be confirmed at this stage how much money was taken from the ATMs and the shop.”
Police have opened a case of attempted murder and ATM bombings for investigation.