Shaken shoppers return to Bedford mall

A woman is questioned by police officers as she exits the Bedfordview Centre. The shopping centre was locked down by police after an attempted robbery took place at the mall resulting in a gun fight between the robbers and a security company. 290115. Picture: Chris Collingridge 534

A woman is questioned by police officers as she exits the Bedfordview Centre. The shopping centre was locked down by police after an attempted robbery took place at the mall resulting in a gun fight between the robbers and a security company. 290115. Picture: Chris Collingridge 534

Published Jan 31, 2015

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Johannesburg - The blood may have been mopped up and the shattered glass swept away, but there are 30 noticeable bullet holes in the walls and floors.

On Friday, workers at Bedford Centre were still trying to repair the damage from Thursday’s bloody shootout.

Several stores needed to replace display windows shattered by stray bullets and the elevators closest to the scene had to be repaired.

There was also a strong security presence at the mall, particularly outside banks and jewellery stores.

A gang opened fire at cash-in-transit guards in the banking mall on Thursday, triggering an exchange of fire in which a number of shoppers and security guards were wounded.

Seven people were injured: three shoppers, two SBV Services guards and two of the suspected robbers.

The wounded robbers were arrested, but the rest of the gang got away.

The police and mall security closed the centre for about an hour while they searched for the fugitive gunmen.

The gang targeted a cash-in-transit delivery by SBV Services to a bank in the lower mall just after 11am.

It is alleged that the guards went down the escalators with the money in a trolley and had reached the lower level when the gang opened fire.

The shootout has not deterred customers and the mall was thronged with shoppers on Friday.

Janet van Aswegen, a mall regular, said although she was shocked, she would continue to do her shopping at the Bedford Centre.

“The mall is close to my home and it’s convenient,” she said.

“I won’t allow these thugs to chase me away. We live in South Africa where this happens all the time. You can’t run away from it, sadly.”

Idrees Mohammed, who was at the mall with his son to buy groceries, said he had been reluctant to bring his son with him.

“Shopping is no longer as safe as it used to be. Now I walk into a store and wonder if this will be the store I die in,” he said.

“You can have as many security guards as you want, but it doesn’t make a difference. I cannot stop visiting malls when I need food or clothes. I just have to pray nothing happens to me here.”

Nuno Gouveia, manager of the Twisp outlet, was on his way to the bank in the mall when the shooting erupted. He was still shaken.

“This morning on my way to work, my heart was beating like crazy because I had no idea what to expect. I had to duck and dive for my life on Friday and could easily have been killed.”

The incident has affected Gouveia so much that he has applied for a gun licence. “It seems that getting a gun is the only way to protect myself. I am not slagging off the mall security – they could do nothing when these robbers shot their way through the mall. If it happens again I’ll be waiting with my gun in hand.”

Saturday Star

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