In April 1971, today’s equivalent of several million rand was stolen from a security van parked outside the Trust Bank in Commissioner Street, Johannesburg.
The heist seemed so well-planned and ingenious that police were convinced they were dealing with a gang of professional criminals.
The truth was very different.
Derek Whitehead and Willem van der Merwe were not part of a high-level organised crime group. They were house painters with huge financial issues.
How did these two men manage to pull off one of the most famous bank heists in history, and how did their crime affect the future of cash-in-transit heists and bank robberies in SA?
In episode 77 of True Crime South Africa, we explore this victimless crime and discover the true impact of robberies of this kind on the banking industry.
SHOWNOTES:
Host: Nicole Engelbrecht
Producer: Nicole Engelbrecht
Music: Snippet from Prime Circle’s Evidence
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