Seven Robbers Shot Dead By S Africa Police

An elite South African police unit has shot dead seven men who tried to rob a cash depot in Johannesburg.

Nine others were injured and under police guard in hospital, a spokesman for the unit said.

Police also confiscated 11 vehicles and four firearms.

\"We believe we got the kingpin down. We are convinced that we got all the robbers - dead or arrested,\" said Captain Paul Ramaloko, of the South African Police Service.

The depot belonged to Protea Coin, a security company which runs a cash-in-transit business in the west of the capital city.

Crime is a chronic problem for South Africa. It has one of the highest murder rates in the world outside a war zone.

About 40% of the adult population is jobless - a percentage expected to rise substantially in the coming years - and this is seen driving crime and widening economic inequality.