‘Customers’ rob pizza place

Benoni police media officer Constable Zunickha Essakjee said the men came into the restaurant at about 8.40pm on Sunday and ordered a meal, Benoni City Times reported.

“While the men were waiting for their order, one of the robbers, who had a gun, jumped over the counter and demanded money,” added Essakjee.

The manager allegedly told the worker to hand over the money in the register to the robbers, who demanded the CASH be put in a plastic bag.

“The CASHIER managed to press the panic button, which alerted CMS. An officer arrived on the scene while the robbery was still in progress, and he was disarmed by the armed robber,” said Essakjee.

The two robbers fled the scene on foot.

Investigations are ongoing.

Last week, between five and seven armed men robbed a coffee shop and pizza outlet in Moreleta Park, Pretoria, at the same time.

Androulla Sofocli, the owner of both the House of Coffees and Debonairs at the Olivewood shopping centre in Wekker Road, said both shops were robbed just before closing time at about 8.45pm.

Sofocli said she was in the office of the coffee shop when she turned around and noticed a man holding one of the workers at gunpoint.

Sofocli gave the robbers the CASH inside the safe and the robber took her passport, two cellphones and bottles of whiskey that were kept on some of the shelves inside the shop.

While the three men were robbing the coffee shop, two others raided Debonairs.

The robbers are believed to have fled in a silver Mercedes-Benz and a white VW Golf 6.

– Caxton News Service