Many malls shut their doors amid wave of violent protests and looting in the country

Published Jul 12, 2021

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Cape Town - Amid the violent protests in Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal, a number of city malls have shut their doors citing safety concerns.

The Vangate Mall in Athlone announced that they have instructed all tenants to discontinue trade with immediate effect, as a precautionary measure, on Monday.

“Additional security and riot control are on standby, should we be affected by the unrest. In the event that we experience any threat to the building, the entrance doors (where applicable) will be closed to the public. For now, the measures will apply for Monday and the situation will be monitored on a daily basis,” its management said.

The Liberty Promenade Shopping Centre also announced that they have taken a decision to close the mall on Monday, citing ongoing violent protests taking place in and around Mitchells Plain.

“This is not a decision taken lightly, but the safety and security of shoppers and tenants is of the utmost importance to Liberty Promenade. Additional security measures have been put in place. Liberty Promenade, together with the SAPS, will monitor the situation and advise when normal trade will resume,” they said.

Safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said they were working on contingency plans to ensure that any such threats on the City's doorstep are addressed and defused as soon as possible.

Smith said the City was working with SAPS to address threats to public safety.

“In addition, we note the violence that has erupted in parts of Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng in recent days, resulting in large scale looting and unrest. For the moment, Cape Town is unaffected, but we are working on contingency plans to ensure that any such threats on our doorstep are addressed and defused as soon as possible, should the need arise.

“Our enforcement agencies are under the pump with all of the additional threats, at a time when they are also expected to police the disaster management regulations, amid efforts to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases, as the country grapples with the third wave of infections, and address day-to-day enforcement priorities," he said.

Cape Times

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