THE Mall of the South on Swartkoppies Road and Kliprivier Drive in Liefde En Vrede now faces a backlash from the community after its rapidly increasing number of armed robberies hitting the centre.
The second armed robbery at NWJ Jewellery this year took place on Sunday at around 10.30am, July 30, as three suspects entered the store and fired one shot. It is believed that staff members at Browns Jewellery store pushed their panic button as a precaution which set off the smoke alarms in the store. No injuries were reported and the suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of money. At around 12noon Mondeor SAPS were on scene collecting spent cartridges from the scene for evidence and taking fingerprints.
The first armed robbery at NWJ Jewellery took place on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at approximately 6pm.
Read more on that robbery here: Armed robbery at NWJ in Mall of the South
Residents at the mall reported seeing three people run into a waiting getaway vehicle possibly a white Ford Ikon possibly working with a blue VW Polo.
The centre management at the mall released a statement not long after the incident and confirmed that the robbery took place at around 10.22am and mall security immediately responded when the store alerted them of the incident.
“The Mall’s security and the South African Police Services (SAPS) are busy with the investigation. The mall is trading as normal. The safety and security of tenants and shoppers is of utmost importance to centre management,” read the statement.
Since then, numerous customers and residents in the South argued that there is little to no security presence in and around the mall.
One concerned customer, Willie Le Roux, who was at Dis-Chem Pharmacy at the time of the incident spoke to the CHRONICLE saying that the statement from Mall of the South is incorrect.
“I was at Dis-Chem Pharmacy paying when we heard the gunshot and saw people screaming and running and there was no security in sight. Dis-Chem Pharmacy handled the situation very well and they immediately closed the doors. When we left Dis-Chem Pharmacy we saw the staff member from NWJ Jewellery exiting the store, screaming at one security guard on scene for reacting after the robbery,” said Le Roux
He continued; “It is a fact that the mall security is not up to standard and there was none in sight when the robbery took place. We only saw one mall security guard about five minutes after the robbery. I was very disappointed in the way the mall handled it but well done to Dis-Chem Pharmacy.
The CHRONICLE reporter spoke to two of Dis-Chem’s store managers on Tuesday, August 1 and they confirmed what Le Roux had said. “To be very honest I’m totally dissatisfied with Mall of the South as a whole. I work here but certainly wouldn’t come here as a shopper. Crime taking place in this centre is becoming out of hand.”
The reporter questioned a few shop owners who were hesitant to say how they feel about robberies happening in the centre. “I don’t want to say anything. The centre is already quiet and if shoppers are afraid of coming here business will drop,” said one owner.
On Sunday evening, July 30, there was an attempted break-in at Fournos Bakery. Security was alerted and the suspects fled the scene. An investigation is underway.
Read the initial story here: Another armed robbery at NWJ in Mall of the South
Here is a timeline of incidents at Mall of the South.
1. The Mall of The South confirms that there was a robbery at Mall of the South on October 12, 2015. Three men entered the Browns Jewellery store posing as customers. They held up the store whilst they grabbed jewellery and exited the store towards the parking entrance of the mall. They joined up with three other accomplices on their way to the parking garages and their exit. On route to the exit, the armed suspect ran into the Swarovski Jewellery store and grabbed a tray of rings.
Read more on this incident here:
· Mall of the South official response on robbery
· Suspects’ photos released after robbery at Mall of the South
· Woman injured during Mall of the South robbery
· Two suspects arrested for Mall of the South robbery
2. A robbery took place at Markham in Mall of the South just after the store opened at 9am on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Read more on this robbery here:
· Staff at Markham store Mall of the South robbed
3. A robbery took place at the Vodacom 4U store at Mall of the South at 9.39am on Monday, May 23, 2016.
Read more here:
· Another robbery at Mall of the South
4. A mother of a two-year-old was left contemplating what could-have-been after her daughter was picked up out of their trolley by a complete stranger in a potential abduction at Cotton On at Mall of the South (MOTS) on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.
Read more on that here:
· Potential abduction thwarted?
· Watch: Toddler almost nabbed from trolley in mall
5. An armed robbery took place at Mall of the South after three men approached the manager and shop assistant at the Samsung store at 7pm on Tuesday, September 6, 2016, as the store was about to close. Mall of the South Centre Management confirmed that a robbery took place. Perpetrators made off with an undisclosed amount of goods. No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the incident.
Read more:
· Another armed robbery at local mall
· Robbery – comment from Mall of the South management
6. An armed robbery occurred at the Telkom store on Saturday, October 8, 2016 just after 9am.
Read more here:
· Another armed robbery at one of Mall of the South’s stores
Tell us how you feel about this and share your views. Email us on shernoviar@caxton.co.za
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
Add us on WhatsApp today! Alberton Record: 060 644 5264 Comaro Chronicle: 079 427 8074 and Southern Courier: 079 404 5789.
