Business owners in Tedstoneville are becoming increasingly nervous with the increase in crime in the area.
The GCN spoke to Johnny Frade, the owner of Witwatersrand Discount Liquors after his shop was robbed on June 15.
Frade said that currently he and the staff were finding it difficult to work as they have all been traumatised by the armed robbery.
“It was closing time and we were serving the last of our customers when a group of about eight people walked in,” Frade said.
“They pretended to be customers and one of them came and paid for a Coke, and then they suddenly all pulled out guns.”
Frade said that one of the men shot the security guard, from a local security company, who came every night at closing time to guard the staff.
“He was shot four times and died on the scene,” said Frade.
“One of my three staff members was also slightly injured when he was hit on the side of the head with a revolver.”
The robbers demanded money and airtime vouchers and helped themselves to a large amount of alcohol from the shelves.
“They took their time as they had taken out the guard and even packed the alcohol in bags, before leaving casually,” Frade said.
Frade has opened a case at the Elsburg Police Station and said that the police told him they must get more security at the shop.
“We are small businesses and cannot afford more security than we already have.
“In the nine years that I have been here, we have only had one other incident, seven years ago, and it was very light.
“This time I am feeling extremely traumatised – they were trigger happy.”
This is the second incident in a matter of a few days that a business in the area has been targeted.
Suncity Supermarket was robbed recently and it is believed someone was shot.
The owner of Suncity Supermarket was unavailable to talk to the GCN when we tried to obtain more details about the robbery, but an employee did confirm that it had happened.
Frade wants other businesses in the area and in Germiston as a whole to be alert to these men.
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