Drama unfolds at Wellington bank

Drama unfolded at the Capitec bank branch in Church Street, Wellington, yesterday morning, Wednesday January 8, when a 41-year-old man allegedly held up banking staff demanding cash.

According to Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Potjie, Wellington police reacted to reports of an incident under way at the bank around 9.30am.

“Preliminary investigation suggest that the suspect became riotous and threatened personnel inside the bank with a spear and claimed cash.

“SAPS members were dispatched and upon arrival, the suspect attacked the members who retaliated and fired and hit the suspect in the leg,” says Lieutenant Colonel Pojie.

The wounded suspect was taken to a medical facility by ER24 ambulance services and is currently under police guard.

He has been charged with attempted murder.

“He will appear in court on the mentioned charge, once he had been discharged from the hospital,” says Lieutenant Colonel Potjie.

The incident appeared to have taken place without causing any commotion as workers, who declined to be named, at two shops in Church Street, say they had no idea of what was happening at the bank.

Only one shop assistant reported hearing gun shots, but says she could see nothing outside.

Reports on social media indicated that the suspect had allegedly been upset after receiving an “insufficient funds” message, but this could not be confirmed with the bank.

In response to a media query from Bolander, Capitec's marketing and communications department acknowledged the incident.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred at our Wellington branch involving an individual who was removed from the premises and later returned. This posed a serious threat to our staff and clients. The South African Police Service and armed response teams were dispatched and responded swiftly.”

The bank says it is willing to cooperate with the police as the investigation continues. The branch was closed yesterday following the incident.

“We are supporting our employees who were affected by this incident and encouraging our clients to use alternative branches or digital banking channels during this time.

“We extend our thoughts to all those impacted and will continue prioritising safety in all aspects of our operations.”