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Three policemen and two civilians appeared in court on Monday in connection with the bombing of a cash machine last week, said police spokesperson Louis Jacobs.
Jacobs said the men, whose case was postponed for a week, were charged with malicious damage to property, two counts of attempted murder, theft of cash and intentional detonation of explosives.
Police suspect the growing trend in blasting cash machines open with what is believed to be commercial explosives from mines, is the work of criminal gangs in the country.
Most of the blasts happen around Johannesburg in the Gauteng province, while one also struck in the Northwest province.
"It is almost a daily occurence," said provincial spokesperson Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini.
One person has died in the blasts and thousands of rands have been stolen as cash machine blasts increased from 54 in 2006, to 186 by the end of March 2008, according to official figures from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre.
"It costs about R200 000 to replace a machine," said Steve Higgins, spokesperson for South Africa's First National Bank who lost two cash machines in the recent spate of attacks.
- AFP
