by SUE MCLENNAN
Men posing as security officers robbed Makhanda’s Shoprite supermarket on Monday February 13.
South African Police Service spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said that the Makhanda store was robbed by four or five suspects dressed in the uniform of well known international security company G4S.
“One was armed and they fled with an undisclosed amount of cash,” Naidu said. “They got into a Toyota Avanza with G4S stickers and sped off. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran off into the bushes on foot.”
Police and private security were searching for the suspects and a case of business robbery is under investigation, Naidu said.
The store was previously robbed nearly a year ago, in March 2022.
The supermarket chain confirmed to Talk of the Town that a robbery took place at its store in Makhanda on Monday morning, 13 February 2023.
“No-one was seriously injured during the robbery and trauma counselling has been arranged for those involved,” Shoprite’s media office said in response to questions from Talk of the Town.
“We denounce acts of crime committed against our stores, which ultimately puts the safety of our customers and employees at risk,” the supermarket chain said. It also called on the public to call the hotline on 0800118879 should information pertaining to such crimes be available.”
Security company G4S had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publishing.
(This article was first published in Talk of the Town newspaper).
