JOHANNESBURG,SOUTH AFRICA,

CASH-IN-TRANSIT security guards threatened to strike in response to the recent series of violent heist,the Motor Transport Workers Union said yesterday.

 "The union met with shop stewards from around the country about the crisis.It has had enough and will down tools countrywide unless steps are taken to deal with the situation ,"said the union's general secreatary,Emily Fourie.

This follow a shootout between robbers and security guards in Joburg on Tuesday in which a one-year-old baby was shot dead and seven bystanders were injured.

Fourie said the Union represents 90% of the guards manning cash-in-transit vehicles.

"ATMs will be left without money and shops with no way to transport their fund unless the Minister of Safety and Security and top police meets the union to find a way forward.

"We want a state of emergency to be declared.We want the army called in and we want this anarchy to stop.

"It is suicide to send security personnel out with 9mm weapons when they areup against criminals who are armed to their teeth.The police were nowhere to be seen during the heist and were generally outgunned themsleves.

"We don't want them looking for the murderers of our members.What we want is for them to beworking with us,to ensure they go home to their families at night,"she said

"We are being attacked on all fronts and we simply can not take it any more,"she said