Staff members of a medications manufacturing plant on Anvil Street were forced to hide inside the factory after security was overwhelmed and the facility was breached by armed men on Monday, September 29.

According to staff members on the scene, they were working when the security alarm suddenly sounded.

“Someone shouted that they saw armed men, so we retreated into the facility, finding places to hide in the offices and factory.

“The facility is quite big, so there are lots of places to hide.”

The staff member, who did not want to be identified, told the Roodepoort Record that they could hear the perpetrators trying to force open the doors of the offices where they were hiding.

“It was terrifying.

“Luckily, it ended almost as fast as it started. The next thing we knew, security officers announced that it was safe to come out.”

According to Florida CPF chairperson Farhaad Sardiwalla, reaction officers from Fidelity ADT, Bhekani Abantu Security, and Help24 Secure were first on the scene.

“The fast reaction really made all the difference in this case,” he said, adding that Fidelity ADT were on the scene within about three minutes after the alarm signal was received.

“We gathered that a suspected e-hailing vehicle stopped outside the main gate.

“The security guard approached the car and was overwhelmed and held at gunpoint.

“One of the perpetrators scaled the wall, damaging the electric fencing in the process. He gained access to the guard room and opened the gate for the vehicle to get in.

“The armed perpetrators then entered the facility, trying various doors, before fleeing.”

At the Record’s arrival at the scene, police officers from Florida Police Station, as well as forensic investigators, were combing the scene and interviewing witnesses.

“Luckily, no one was injured,” said Sardiwalla.