AN uMhlanga pensioner said she has been left severely shaken after a pepper-spraying incident at Gateway Shopping Centre on Monday. Louise Pallet believes two men used pepper spray to blind her to steal either her valuables or car. The 77-year-old said she was walking towards her car in the underground parking at the busy centre when she felt a stinging sensation in her eyes and her nose also began to run.

“I heard the man behind me – and what is weird is he knew what was wrong before I said anything – he asked ‘Can I help you?’, and when I said I was fine, he kept on insisting that he would help me. He didn’t directly spray me in the eyes, but could have sprayed it in the air, which is what I suspect. He kept offering his help to take my groceries and put them in the boot. As I reached my car, I realised I couldn’t open one of my eyes fully and the man then told me he was a doctor, and tried to usher me to one of the bathrooms inside the centre. I said I had milk in my grocery bag and would use that to rinse out my eyes.

“It was then that I realised that a second man was standing on the passenger side of my car looking at me. I thought something was not right, my suspicions grew and I immediately threw my handbag into the car and locked it.

“I think both men thought I was going to be easy prey as a pensioner, but as I got in my car and began to drive away, they walked away.  I’m not sure what they wanted but I suspect it was either my handbag or my car,” she said.

Pallet said she is in shock and wasn’t able to see properly. She also suffered double vision for a day after the incident and has reported the incident to centre management. She added that this was the second incident she was aware of.

Gateway centre management has confirmed that they are aware of the allegations and will be releasing a statement.