Cops mowed down

2003-09-22 17:51

Giyani - Two traffic officials from the Limpopo provincial traffic service were found dead by the roadside between Tzaneen and Hoedspruit on Monday after a cash heist in the area sometime earlier, a police spokesperson reported.

Superintendent Ronel Otto said the cash heist occurred just before 14:00 on Monday in Tickeyline village at Lenyenye, when seven armed men in a white Volkswagen Jetta robbed officials from the U and Cry security firm of several boxes of money as well as their vehicle.

No shots were fired during the heist and no one was injured, said Otto.

Some time later a woman travelling on the Trichardtsdal road about 20km from the heist scene noticed the bodies of two traffic policemen by the roadside and alerted the police.

The men had been shot several times, said Otto. They were from the provincial traffic service and were stationed at Ritavi.

Police found several AK47 assault rifle cartridge cases on the scene.

The officials' bakkie was missing, but was later found about 5km from the scene of the shooting.

It is thought that the officials may have stopped the vehicle driven by the robbers from Tickeyline village and were then shot, said Otto.

Their names were being withheld until their next-of-kin had been informed.

- SAPA