African Medallion Group founder Frank Buyanga has condemned the shooting of two guards after 10 robbers pounced on his Toyota Land Cruiser in an attempt to steal gold in Boksburg, South Africa.
Two men, Francois Swart and Dale Collins, were seriously injured during the attack, sparking outrage in a country with some of the world’s worst rates of violent crime. South Africa police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, who used armour-piercing bullets in the robbery, and fled the scene in a VW Golf.
Police spokesperson Kay Makhubele said the two occupants of the Toyota were injured after their car was riddled with bullets and are battling for life in hospital where they are receiving specialist medical care. “They were transporting gold along the R21 in Jet Park in Boksburg when they were attacked by the group,” Makhubele said.
“Unfortunately, two guards were shot and seriously wounded during the attempt.”
The suspects fled in two sedans without being able to take anything, and police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward. “We urge any member of the public who might have information which could lead to the arrests of these suspects to contact their nearest police station,” Makhubele added.
The South African-based gold trader AMG said scenes from the CIT robbery on the R21 in Gauteng were horrific and a regular occurence in South Africa. “AMG Group is deeply saddened by the events of yesterday. We would like to send our prayers and heartfelt thoughts to the families of Francois Swart and Dale Collins, who operate in our industry,” he said in a statement released on the company’s social media platforms.
AMG said the shootings have once again highlighted the phenomenon of gun violence in South Africa. Even though South Africa’s murder rate has been gradually dropping, it remains one of the world’s most violent countries.
“AMG is saddened by the high levels of crime in South Africa and continues to pray for a better and safer South Africa.” AMG – an African initiative raising awareness on wealth creation and wealth inclusion of fellow Africans – based in Sandton, is one of Africa’s greatest bullion money-making machines and develops and
distributes precious metals – mostly gold and related products such as medallions and krugerrands.
Since its inception in 2017, AMG – known for its intense innovation – has produced and sold plenty of medallions within this short period of time. This included the sale of Pan African 1/4 Oz Fine Gold Medallion released last April, which sold out in record time . The start-up has continued to break records and set new standards of excellence since then.
But the gold industry it operates in in South Africa is faced with a severe crisis as a result of the daily spate of cash-in-transit attacks and gold heists that threaten the safety of employees and
