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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20090408131649415C117496


Grocery store robbed in Canal Walk
Murray Williams
April 08 2009 at 01:27PM


Traumatised staff returned to work at a Canal Walk supermarket on
Wednesday, still reeling from a brazen and violent armed robbery there
last night, which saw one person wounded and terrified shoppers
fleeing in fear.


A gang of three gunmen pulled off the late-night raid at Checkers in
the popular shopping mall.


Armed with handguns, they hit the store at about 9.15pm, 15 minutes
after the doors were closed for the day and just as tellers were
starting to cash up.


Sources reported that the gunmen put guns to the heads of two cashiers
manning a stall just outside the store, in the open Food Court where
Checkers had set up an "Easter Village" selling Easter Eggs and
chocolates before Easter Sunday this weekend.





'There were mothers running with their babies, it was chaos'
Staff and shoppers in the rest of the centre were first alerted when
the sound of gunfire rang out.


"I'd just finished having supper with my family at Jimmy's Killer
Prawns when we heard gunshots. People were running in all directions,
running and screaming," said a man who was at the scene, but who did
not wish to be named.


"There were mothers running with their babies, it was chaos. I've
never seen anything like it. For something to happen like this in an
upmarket centre ... we were absolutely terrified."


The gunmen fled the store with their loot, shooting a cleaner in the
ankle as they made their escape. The man was being treated at
Milnerton Medi-Clinic this morning.


Milnerton police spokesperson Daphne Dell said it was not yet known
why the man was shot, other than being "in the wrong place at the
wrong time".


The robbers are still at large.


"There was no visible security, no apparent emergency protocol. The
booms were not automatically lifted - nothing," one shopper alleged.


Dell said detectives were meeting again this morning to see whether
the gang may have been caught on the centre's CCTV cameras.


Staff at Checkers would also be re-interviewed, "as many of them were
too traumatised to give statements last night", Dell explained.


Canal Walk spokesperson Vanessa Herbst said she was still awaiting a
full report at 9am.


A staff member at Checkers said the store was open as usual on
Wednesday morning. "We're all fine," said one man on the scene.


Herbst said a full complement of security staff had been on duty last
night, as well as staff monitoring the CCTV surveillance system.


Police would not divulge this morning how much money the gang had stolen.


Meanwhile, a police officer chasing armed robbers in Goodwood had a
lucky break when the gun a robber attempted to shoot him with jammed.


On Tuesday, just before 8pm, police were alerted by the manageress of
the 7-11 in Voortrekker Road to six "suspicious-looking" men at the
entrance to the store.


Goodwood police spokesperson inspector Wayne Theunis said that shortly
before police arrived the six men robbed the store and made off with
groceries and an undisclosed amount of money.


A constable cornered one of the armed robbers in the yard of a house
and a scuffle ensued.


"The robber fired a shot but the gun failed," said Theunis.


The robber then fled the scene.


The other police officer chased two other robbers, apprehending a man,
19, from Khayelitsha. - Additional reporting by Natasha Prince




o This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape
Argus on April 08, 2009
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Couldn't the shooters read the no-gun sign?


April 14, 2009 Edition 1


I am shocked, yes, shocked that gunmen could walk into Canal Walk shopping
centre and hold people at gun- point. Canal Walk is a gun-free zone, and
there are signs at all the doors indicating this. How could this modern
fool-proof safety system fail us so badly? We clearly need bigger signs.


Wouter
Bellville
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Mall management must be held liable for loss


April 14, 2009 Edition 1


Canal Walk management should be held liable for loss and damage caused by
crime that could have been prevented by tenants being equipped to defend
themselves and their property. It is an outrage when a bunch of moralistic
busy bodies force their ideology on others. Those deciding that criminals
need a safe place to work in and forcing everyone to comply must not be
allowed to escape the consequences. I hope Canal Walk is made to pay for
the deliberate aid they are giving criminals.


P Moss
Pietermaritzburg
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