OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Wednesday 11.00pm.
THIRTY-ONE people were involved in the careful planning which led to the R17,4 million Bronkhorstspruit cash-in-transit heist last July, the Pretoria High Court heard on Wednesday.
Jerry Mashigo told the court he had known two of the accused, Dennis Nqobezi and Thabo Stimela, for about a year. He met two more accused, Oupa Seane and Sipho Shongwe, a fortnight before the heist.
Mashigo said he, Nqobezi and Stimela and a large group of men travelled by bus to the Bronkhorstspruit area, where they stopped at various places and discussed the robbery.
They then went to the farm of Aaron Moloi, called Olifantsfontein near Delmas. The farm was used as a base for he heist.
The men returned to the farm on Monday, July 28, where the 31 agreed on the role each would play in the robbery. Around 3am on Tuesday they left for the Witbank highway in a Honda, two BMW’s and two bakkies.
“We stopped with the bakkie at trees near a bridge on the highway. The Honda waited somewhere near the off-ramp and the one BMW was also in the vicinity.
“We waited there so that one of the people in the Honda could phone us to tell us that the van was coming, whereafter we would pull the chain across the road,” Mashigo said, identifying a chain with long spikes attached to it.
“We were about four people who had to handle the chain. We agreed amongst each other who would do what. The Ford double cab bakkie also waited between the trees. We agreed that the money would be loaded into the bakkie. The white BMW was to catch the vehicle accompanying the cash van.”
Mashigo told the court that Oupa Seane “did most of the talking at the farm.” The case continues.