Shoppers had to dodge bullets at Northgate shopping centre on 13 February, but according to two of them a centre official’s attitude in the aftermath was even more troubling.
A cellphone store was robbed at about 4.30pm and as the robbers made their getaway in two cars they opened fire on a security guard in the parking lot.
Shoppers had to hide behind vehicles while the shooting occurred but no one was hurt.
Michelle and Natasha were among those taking cover. Both woman did not want their surnames published as they were afraid they would be targets of intimidation.
A stray bullet went through the bumper of Michelle’s car and after the incident the centre’s operations manager Moses Ndaba spoke to them.
“What shocked us was his attitude,” Natasha said. “He did not ask if we were okay. He just said it was not his problem, shopping and parking at the centre was at our own risk. We told him if we died he would not care, and he did not respond.”
This is one of four shootings at the centre Michelle knows about, and upon leaving the centre she allegedly once saw a cash-in-transit guard lying dead on the ground.
“The owners do not care if we are alive or dead,” Michelle said. “We are never going back there.”
Spokesperson for the centre Michelle Papastefanou would not say how many armed robberies had occurred at the centre since January last year. “Northgate shopping centre regrets the incident and that the customers’ car was damaged,” she said. “Shopping centres, being soft targets, suffer the brunt end of crime in South Africa.”
She added that centre management was working to ensure the safety of its customers first and foremost, shoppers and owners of the shops and merchandise.
Details: Northgate Shopping Centre 011 794 1687.
