Employee concerned about personal safety following robbery at shopping centre

A female employee who works in Midrand has shared her security concerns after she was the victim of a robbery last month.

Esnath Patel, who has been working at a medical practitioner at a shopping centre in Midrand, explained that she was robbed recently. She reported that unknown suspects grabbed her phone out of her hands and fled the shopping centre using a vehicle.

According to Patel, the incident happened around 2.30pm when she went to wait for her taxi service driver to pick her up. “Before going down the stairs to the parking lot, I called a certain driver that normally transports me to and from work to come pick me up from work. He told me I should wait 10 minutes, as he had a client already. I then decided to go buy some stuff at a nearby grocery store while waiting.

“Ten minutes after leaving the store I decided to call the same driver, he told me he was on his way. As soon as I was done with the call, while waiting in the parking lot, a car came braking near me almost knocking me.

“As I was trying to give way, a guy with a big build just appeared very fast and tried to grab my bag in which he failed.

“He then hit my hand with something that looked like a gun and took my phone.”

Patel said that the suspect then ran into the same car that almost hit her, a white Toyota Etios. Patel said that she reported the case to the Midrand Police Station in the same week of the incident.

“My service provider cannot help me. I now have to pay the bill for a phone which I don’t have, valued at R 9 000, for the next two years.”

Midrand Police Station spokesperson, Sergeant Matome Tlamela, confirmed that a case of armed robbery was opened and that the suspects are still at large. “The case is still under investigation.”

The Midrand Reporter contacted the shopping centre in question, but despite numerous requests for comment, the centre has not responded.