The looting and violence that flared up in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng have not yet spilt over into Potchefstroom.
Some shops in the Wandellaan closed their doors on Monday (12 July) as a precautionary measure. The Riverwalk Mall was also closed on Monday amid reports of looters heading towards town. The Mooi- Rivier Mall remained open. According to Ryno Meiring, the manager of MooiRivier Mall, they had closed their underground parking as a precaution on Monday.
Christiaan Haefele, the operational manager of Mooirivier Beskerming, confirmed that there had been no reports of looting in Potchefstroom.
Brigadier Steven Moodley, the station commander of the Potchefstroom police station, called for calm on Monday.
“I just want to assure our community that there is no protest or looting of any businesses within our policing precinct.
“We ask for our community to remain calm. We ask people to act responsibly and stop spreading false information or misinfor- mation,” he said on Monday.
Netwerk24 reported that Natref, Sasol, Total Sapref, BP and Shell had closed their refineries in Durban due to the ongoing violence. This has lead to fears of a fuel shortage.
According to Werner Oosthuizen, the manager of the BP petrol sta- tion Atlantic Oil on the N12, they have not yet been affected by the unrest.
“I am worried about the closure of the biggest refineries in Durban. So far, there is no indication that we won’t be receiving fuel inland, but if the unrest stops by Friday, we might be affected at a later stage,” he said.
Deon Pfeiffer, the manager of Engen Uncle Arthur’s, has noticed that people in Potchefstroom are worried about a fuel shortage.
“The violence in the country is worrying but, so far, we are not anticipating a fuel shortage,” he said.
The South Coast Herald reported that people queue for hours to buy food at the few shops that are still open. The Citizen reported instances of residents in KZN panic- buying, while it seems to be business as usual in Potchefstroom.
Pick n Pay Vanderhoff Park’s manager, Chris Fourie stressed that there is no shortage of stock at his branch and that delivery trucks are still operational.
“At this moment, things are still going on as normal with no disruptions in stock supply. We will only be able to say in a week or two, depending on what happens in the next few days,” he said.
Ryno Meiring, the MooiRivier Mall manager, reassured the public that the shopping mall was doing every-thing in its power to ensure that its customers are safe.
“We have a contingency plan to make sure everything is in order. We also work together with the military and police to make sure everything goes smoothly.
“Safety is also monitored regu- larly. We want to make sure that our shoppers are safe,” he said.
Members of the SANDF were seen in certain parts of Potchefstroom on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Various businesses on the Bult have decided to remain open.
“Thankfully, the army is outside patrolling; we feel safer,” said one of the businesses owners who asked to remain anonymous.
