In the first incident at Boxer Cash & Carry in Empangeni on the KZN north coast, a group of men ambushed security guards who were loading money into an ATM.

According to a police source, who could not be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, three men who were armed with handguns had stormed the shop early in the morning.

He said that while guards were ordered to lie on the floor and relinquish boxes of money that was being loaded into the cash machine, another robber stood guard outside the shop with an AK47.

It is understood that the men made off with over R600 000.

In another incident, seven people were injured in the crush of a stampede at the Dube Village Mall in Inanda when a group of gunmen opened fire during a business robbery.

Crisis Medical spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said that the injured had been treated at the scene by medics and then taken to a nearby hospital.

It is understood that gunmen had exchanged fire with police who had responded to the shooting, after the group had stormed the cash room in a shop at the centre.

In another incident, a shop in Umlazi’s H Section was robbed by five armed men. They escaped successfully from the scene, according to the police source.

Police spokespeople were not immediately available for comment.