Residents close to a shopping complex in Khayelitsha were woken up by a loud bang when boewe tried to blow up a Capitec ATM outside the building just before 2am on Saturday.
From witnesses at the scene, the Daily Voice learned that the men had tried to use a few Black Widow firecrackers tied together to make the bomb.
They then tried to blast open the front of the ATM.
But the explosives were not strong enough and the skelms, who had their faces covered, came away with nothing but ringing ears.
They ran off into the night before police arrived at the scene soon afterwards.
Onlookers say they were not sure whether it was an actual attempt at getting money, or if the guys just wanted to see what would happen if they used klappertjies.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana says police are investigating the matter.
“A case of malicious damage to property has been opened for investigation after an ATM was damaged at a mall in Khayelitsha in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“No money was taken and the investigation into the matter continues,” she said.