Social media went haywire when a shooting incident was reported at the East Rand Mall recently
As soon as the community heard about it, the rumours started flying that a store was robbed, or maybe it was a cash-in-transit heist.
There were reports that a number of suspects were shot, another report said that one of the suspects were caught along Rietfontein Road, and then speculation surfaced of the gang still causing terror and mayhem within the shopping mall.
All of the false ‘news reporting’ by the ‘community journalists’ are of course the symptoms of our times.
Social media is being used a tool for reporting news, even though rarely are the so-called facts checked or confirmed.
It was only established later in the day that no store was robbed, and no cash-in-transit heist took place. Details of what exactly happened remain sketchy, but it appears to have been a sting operation, with the police trying to net a murder suspect.
There are also questions that needs to be answered, as to why, if this was a sting operation involving a supposedly dangerous suspect, did the arrest unfold in a busy shopping mall.
The matter of ‘community driven journalism’ is a matter up for discussion for another day, but for now, I have to ponder in the wake of criminals targeting stores throughout Boksburg. How safe is it to go shopping anymore?
After the incident at East Rand Mall, which should cause a cold shiver to pass up your spine considering bullets were flying, Incredible Connection was robbed on a Friday in broad daylight.
Can you imagine strolling around the store, maybe looking at laptops, enjoying your Friday afternoon, looking forward to the weekend, when you are suddenly accosted by armed thugs. What madness has befallen us?
Then, on May 2, five armed robbers stormed into a Pep store at the Witfield Square shopping centre on Main Street.
Again, this took place in broad daylight.
The follows a Pep store robbery in Sunward Park in February. Last year in November, a group of armed thugs held staff at gunpoint and stole 380 cellphones and a substantial amount of money at the same store.
And yes, it is all took place in broad daylight. But that is not the end of the reign of terror upon shoppers.
A pizza franchise was also looted of late, at least not in broad daylight. A gang of seven armed suspects robbed the same outlet in Leeuwpoort Street last year on October 28, this time during the day.
All of this gives a whole different and terrifying meaning to daylight robbery, which actually refers to blatant and unfair overcharging.
How many of us truly do feel safe to shop anymore? East Rand Mall was turned into a war zone, and you are in danger of having a gun pressed to your head for just wanting to buy clothing or order a pizza.
Is this the country we are now living in? A country where you become so paranoid, so cautious and so scared that you cannot even go to the shops in broad daylight without running the risk of being a victim of crime?
Already we are driving home peering every few seconds in the rearview mirror, wondering who is following us. We fear for our children and for the future. No wonder so many is still seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
In the end, online shopping might soon be experiencing a boom in trade. Sadly criminals still rule the roost, just as corruption and anarchy continue unabated in this country (so much for investor confidence).
We can all but a dream of a Utopia state where we all feel safe and secure, but for now, trucks keep burning, violent protests sow lawlessness and shopping calls for a Chuck Norris approach.
Maybe it is time to manufacture bulletproof vests for shoppers.
