Durban N2: CIT Vehicle Blown Up, Looting Reported | South Africa News
- Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – A series of brazen cash-in-transit (CIT) heists along the N2 highway have raised serious concerns about security and public safety in the region.
- The most recent major incident occurred on February 4, 2025, during peak morning traffic.
- “Resources were immediately dispatched,” said Garrith Jamieson, a spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, describing the scene shortly after 6:00 AM.
Cash-in-Transit Heists Plague Durban’s N2 Highway
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – A series of brazen cash-in-transit (CIT) heists along the N2 highway have raised serious concerns about security and public safety in the region. Recent incidents, including explosions, gunfire, and subsequent looting, have left one woman dead and multiple people injured.
The most recent major incident occurred on , during peak morning traffic. A CIT vehicle was forced off the road between the Higginson Highway and the M7. Suspects then detonated an explosive device within the van before robbing it, according to reports from ALS Paramedics. The explosion caused widespread panic, with motorists reversing on the N2 and others becoming stuck in traffic.
“Resources were immediately dispatched,” said Garrith Jamieson, a spokesperson for ALS Paramedics, describing the scene shortly after 6:00 AM. “Police, metro police and paramedics arrived at the scene to a CIT vehicle had been forced off the road, coming to rest on its roof in the centre median. It was blown up by suspects who robbed the van.”
The violence quickly spread beyond the immediate vicinity of the heist. Approximately 500 meters from the initial incident, three occupants of a bus traveling to work sustained gunshot wounds and were stabilized by paramedics before being transported to hospitals. Further gunfire was reported on the Higginson highway over the N2 bridge, injuring two more individuals who also received medical attention.
Tragically, the situation escalated on Silverglen Drive in Chatsworth, where multiple people were shot. One woman, believed to be in her 30s, sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other individuals, including a security officer, suffered gunshot and assault injuries and were transported to hospitals for treatment.
Durban Metro Police issued an advisory on their Facebook page, urging motorists to seek alternative routes due to the “heavy gunfire” in the area and the complete closure of the affected section of the N2 between Higginson highway and NPC.
Police have linked suspects involved in the heist to at least five prior murders in KwaZulu-Natal. Following a gun battle on Che Guevara Road in Berea, one suspect was killed at the scene, while another was hospitalized with injuries. According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Nethsuinda, no police officers were injured during the shootout.
This isn’t an isolated incident. On , armed robbers bombed another cash van on the N2 near KwaMashu, resulting in a major road closure. A similar incident occurred on , where two security guards were injured after a cash-in-transit heist on the N2 in Durban, and members of the public reportedly looted the scene.
Further complicating the situation, a CIT robbery on in Shallcross, Durban, also involved the vehicle being blown up, with reports of looting following the explosion. On , concerns were growing over the frequency of these robberies, with a separate incident occurring on the N12 in Johannesburg where a cash van was blown up.
The escalating frequency of these attacks has prompted a police investigation and a heightened sense of alarm among residents and commuters. The N2 highway, a vital transportation artery for the region, has become a focal point for these dangerous criminal activities.
In a separate incident on , cash-in-transit robbers mistakenly shot and killed a motorist on the N2, believing his van was a security vehicle. The robbers blew up an armoured G4S van before looting it.