Pinetown, Durban – November 24, 2025 – A disturbing video circulating widely on social media has captured a Metro Police vehicle driving past an active armed robbery at Pinecrest Mall in Pinetown, leaving witnesses and online viewers stunned. The footage, recorded on Sunday afternoon, shows heavily armed suspects loading stolen goods into a white vehicle while the marked police car continues along the road without intervening, prompting urgent questions about officer protocols and public safety in the eThekwini Municipality.
The incident unfolded around midday at the busy shopping center on the R603 in Pinetown, a commercial hub frequented by shoppers and delivery personnel. According to details emerging from the video and eyewitness accounts shared online, a group of armed men targeted a courier team, forcing them to surrender boxes of goods before loading them into their getaway vehicle. The suspects, described as carrying firearms openly, were captured on multiple cellphone recordings as they directed operations with apparent confidence.
In one segment of the footage, the Metro Police vehicle approaches the scene directly. The suspects are seen gesturing toward the officers inside the car, after which the vehicle proceeds past the robbery without stopping or engaging. Local media reports confirm that the suspects instructed the occupants of the police vehicle to continue driving, and the car complied, leaving the robbery uninterrupted for several minutes. No arrests were made at the scene, and the suspects fled in the white vehicle shortly after.
Eyewitnesses at the mall described the chaos to social media users in real time. One video posted by a local account shows the courier team standing frozen as the armed men ransack their trolley, with shoppers scattering in the background. “They were right there, guns out, and the police just drove by,” one anonymous poster commented in a thread that has garnered thousands of views. The robbery’s brazen nature has amplified concerns, as Pinecrest Mall has seen a rise in opportunistic crimes targeting deliveries amid the holiday shopping buildup.
The Durban Metro Police Service (MPS), responsible for traffic enforcement, by-law compliance, and visible policing within the municipality, has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of this reporting. However, the video’s rapid spread across WhatsApp groups, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) has ignited a polarized response. Some users expressed amusement at the suspects’ audacity in waving off the police, with comments like “They treated the cop car like a taxi” circulating in meme form. Others voiced serious alarm, questioning the decision-making process and calling for accountability.
Adding layers to the controversy is the operational structure of the Metro Police. Unlike sworn South African Police Service (SAPS) officers, Metro Police members—particularly peace officers designated by white shirts—operate under limited mandates. These officers are authorized to drive marked vehicles for patrols and enforcement but lack the powers of full arrest in felony situations like armed robberies. Critically, peace officers are not equipped with firearms, relying instead on de-escalation tactics and radio support from armed units. This distinction means that in high-risk scenarios, such as the one at Pinecrest Mall, the vehicle’s occupants may have been required to prioritize officer safety by not engaging directly.
Public records from the eThekwini Municipality outline these roles clearly: Metro Police vehicles are staffed variably, with peace officers handling routine duties like traffic control and by-law checks. In theory, a member of the public flagging down one of these vehicles during an emergency could encounter an unarmed driver unable to respond with force. The MPS has approximately 1,500 uniformed members across Durban, but resource constraints often limit armed deployments to high-priority zones, leaving suburban malls like Pinecrest reliant on rapid response protocols.
Safety experts and former law enforcement officials have long flagged this as a vulnerability. A 2024 audit by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) highlighted gaps in Metro Police training for armed encounters, recommending clearer guidelines for non-armed personnel. In similar past incidents, such as a 2023 smash-and-grab in Umhlanga where Metro officers waited for SAPS backup, delays have allowed suspects to escape. The Pinecrest event echoes these patterns, raising fears that unarmed patrols could embolden criminals who recognize the limitations.
For the courier team involved, the robbery represents a direct threat to livelihoods in an industry already strained by rising hijackings. South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) data indicates over 200 courier vehicle attacks in KwaZulu-Natal this year alone, with losses exceeding R50 million in goods. No injuries were reported in this case, but the psychological toll on workers is evident from follow-up posts by affected drivers, who described feeling “exposed and forgotten.”
As the video continues to trend—amassing over 50,000 views in under 12 hours—calls for transparency grow louder. Community watch groups in Pinetown have scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday, urging the eThekwini Municipality to review Metro Police deployment strategies. The MPS Training Academy, currently undergoing upgrades to meet Road Traffic Act standards, could play a role in addressing these gaps, but immediate action is demanded.
This incident underscores broader challenges in Durban’s policing landscape, where Metro units handle 70% of daily traffic and by-law calls but only 20% of violent crime responses, per municipal reports. Until an official explanation emerges, the public remains on edge, wondering if the next routine patrol vehicle holds the firepower—or the authority—to make a difference in a crisis.
