Shoppers queue for up to 2 hours to get into clothing stores at Cape Town mall

Two hours – this is how long some shoppers had to queue to get into clothing stores at a Cape Town shopping centre in Kuils River on Friday.

Thousands of people had lined up outside the Zevenwacht Mall in Kuils River by midday on the first day of level 4 of the lockdown.

A queue of hundreds of people – not all adhering to physical distancing – snaked through the parking lot after a separate entrance was opened specifically for those wanting to access the clothing stores, while two other entrances were available for the pharmacy and supermarket.

One shopper who exited the mall carrying a baby bath and a big bag of clothes said she had waited well over two hours to go inside and shop for essentials for her two-year-old son, who had outgrown his wardrobe.

Others lined up to pay their accounts before purchasing their apparel.

Winter clothes

The sale of winter clothes is allowed under level 4 restrictions.

Pharmacies on Friday also removed the tape cordoning off the makeup counters and notices prohibiting its sale.

The sale of cigarettes and alcohol remains banned.

Exercise is also now permitted between 06.00am and 09.00am within a 5km radius of your home. Dozens of walkers, joggers and runners took to the streets of the Western Cape, among them 41-year-old Xolisile Madalambane.

“I have missed this. The last time I ran was the day before lockdown. I am so happy right now,” he said, half of his face covered with a cloth mask.

“I am a security guard and, during the lockdown, I was either at work or in my home, eating and doing nothing. I am glad to be on the road again because fitness and exercise are important to me. It keeps me healthy – I don’t get sick.”

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