Freedom Supermarket shoppers began forming a queue outside their ‘favourite discount store’ as early as 04:30 soon after the Covid-19 curfew ended.
The first person in the queue was Siphiwe Ndlovu of 1st Street in Wynberg, who said she arrived at the door of the store soon after the curfew ended but just before 04:30 to claim her top spot as the first customer to end the revamped shop since the looting mayhem of early July.
“We’re so relieved that our favourite discount store is reopening after the madness of the July looting. You may not be able to see the thrill in our hearts but I can assure you that we are so delighted Freedom finally got its freedom to begin trading again,” Ndlovu told Alex News at the head of a winding queue.
Her number two person in the queue, Kate Ndou of 2nd Avenue and Alfred Nzo Street, deplored the recent looting mayhem which destroyed Freedom, saying it had resulted in her and other members of the community of Alexandra having to buy their groceries at hefty prices in other shops.
“Our stokvel monies are also invested in this shop as per norm each year and we welcome the return of our favourite discount store and hope management will communicate with us as to what happens as the stokvel season is upon us and we need to start sharing the grocery spoils of a year-long of savings,” Ndou said.
Shopping pair Rachel Maredi and friend Martha Mothotoana, both of whom have close to two decades of doing their shopping at Freedom, expressed their excitement that the shop has finally come back to life to service its clients once again.
“We were struggling as a community of Alexandra to buy our groceries but with the return of Freedom, we can be assured things will change for the better. We urge the community not to take us back again to looting and that they will vow to love and protect our Freedom,” Mothotoana said.
The pair was delighted to see store manager Luis Freitas back again, hugged him and expressed their delight, saying it was good to be back and reunited, not just for them as customers but also with their old friend Luis and the store that they have been buying from for decades now.
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