Teenage boys giving shopkeepers a headache in Coronationville
Teenage boys terrorise shop in Coronationville.
The new year has started off on a very downside for a shop owner on Caledon Street, Coronationville.
Mengistu Wolde opened his shop ‘Ebenezer Supermarket and Takeaways’ a month ago and ever since then has been terrorised by a group of teenage boys.
“The boys came into the shop and they threw stones and the first time they broke the fridges and the second time they threw the stones and it broke our TV,” said Wolde.
The incidents started happening two weeks ago and Wolde has not seen the end of it yet. He said: “I’m staying in my shop every day, and I’m surviving here.”
As Wolde hid behind the gates while the boys threw stones, he managed to call residents who were nearby to assist him but before they could even help, the boys ran away. He even explained that when he called the police, the boys managed to get away. He identified that the group of boys could be around the age of 15, 16 and 17 years old.
“They are terrorising this shop, even when there are people in the shop,” he said.
The fridge that was damaged cost him about R500 to fix and he never included the costs of the stock which the boys stole from the back of the shop. Wolde also said that the boys have been abusing substances so when they come into the shop they are intoxicated.
According to Wolde, when he wanted to close shop, the elderly people who always support him said that they need him because the shop is the only convenient one for them.
“I’m here for the community, the shop helps bring income for me and I provide groceries for the residents. It is not just for the benefit of myself. The boys come in to swear at me and they tell me that they are not scared of me. They ask me how much is something and when I answer them, they just swear at me and walk out,” added Wolde.
Communications officer Jerbes de Bruyn from the Sophiatown Police Station advised that the owner should open a case at the station so that they can investigate and find this group of boys.
