The number of ATM bombings in South Africa declined by 30% in November and December 2024 and January 2025.

This is according to Project Big-Bang, a collaborative initiative by the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric), Online Intelligence, the Petroleum Security Initiative, oil companies and the South African Police Service.

“This joint effort led to the identification, tracing and arrest of 46 top perpetrators linked to 69 cases. As well as the seizing of explosives, vehicles, firearms, clothing used at the scene and more than R400 000 in dye-stained cash,” Online Intelligence, one Project Big-Bang’s partners, said in a statement on Friday.

According to the statement, the Big-Bang task team was formed as a response to a 72% increase in ATM bombings between 2019 and 2023, as reported by Sabric. The initiative ran from May 2024 to January 2025.

Online Intelligence said that by working together to identify perpetrators and their modus operandi, the task team was able to create a comprehensive picture of how and why ATM bombings take place. Key areas where more data was necessary were also identified, it said.

Gaps in information were filled though collaborations with the police, who gained more insight into the syndicates perpetrating the bombings and how they worked by interviewing suspects when arrests were made. The project’s initial goal was to decrease the prevalence of ATM bombings by 20% — and the 30% achieved was described as an “unmitigated success” by Online Intelligence.

Read: Banking app kidnappings: Sabric on how not to become a victim

“This project has proved that when industries collaborate, meaningful change happens,” said Mischa Theron, Big-Bang project manager and Online Intelligence representative. “It also highlights how data-driven intelligence can be a powerful force in combating complex security challenges.” — © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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