Children witness mom’s attack as guard looks on

According to Mahomed Bassa, owner of RJ’s Grill Express at the mall, his wife Amina had taken their three children and their three cousins to the shopping centre for supper on Monday, Highway Mail reported.

As the group was walking to the car at about 9.50pm, Amina was attacked from behind by a man who forcefully grabbed her and dragged her across the floor, he claimed.

The children began to scream for assistance, but their cries were in vain as the security guard allegedly just stood by and watched the incident unfold.

Amina’s 10-year-old daughter intervened and tried to assist her mother. The man then fled and did not take any of her belongings.

“The guard did not assist my wife; he just stood by and watched. My wife sustained bruises during the assault, and my children and their cousins will be going for counselling to deal with the trauma,” said Mohamed.

Pavilion Shopping Centre general manager Nisha Kemraj said investigations into the matter were under way.

“Although there was no theft of the handbag, the owner was unfortunately hurt in the process,” said Kemraj.

“Customer safety is of paramount importance, and we do not view these incidents lightly. A full investigation is under way, and we will provide feedback to the affected parties.”

In a separate incident, Natalie Spence, 28, sustained a minor concussion and a gash on her forehead, while her partner Zoran Ramos, 26, suffered multiple injuries, including fractured ribs, when the couple was allegedly attacked at the East Rand Galleria shopping centre last month.

“The SAPS is looking into inquiring if there is video footage of the incident, which will aid the investigation,” police spokesperson Lieutenant Juanita Coetzer said.

– Caxton News Service