It was terrifying! Gunpoint robbery @ Thaba Mall  

Thabazimbi – Shortly after 11 o’clock on Sunday 18 April, Pep Home in Thaba Mall was robbed at gunpoint by four males. Platinum Bushvelder spoke to several customers and employees at the mall about the incident – who were quite traumatised by the ordeal. The gunmen fired one shot, which was heard by several mall shoppers who scrambled for their lives. One cartridge and one projectile (which accounts for 1 bullet fired) was found at the scene. The alarm was raised, notifying SAPS and local security groups, as the suspects fled the scene towards Northam in a Corsa bakkie. 
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Northam SAPS spotted the Corsa on the R510 and gave chase. The suspects’ bakkie came to a screeching halt and five suspects jumped out and fled on foot, three into the bushes and two into a nearby residential area.
Matlabas PROTO team assisted SAPS in tracking the suspects. Air support was also provided to assist in the search. SAPS’ LCRC attended to the vehicle and found the stolen property including cellphones and memory sticks. The bakkie’s windscreen was found to be damaged by a shot that was fired at the police from inside the vehicle.
Two suspects were tracked down in the bushes and arrested, one whom sustained a gunshot wound to his right upper leg.
He is currently at Thabazimbi hospital under police guard.
Said consultant at Pep Cell, Tebogo Ntsooe: “We were also robbed on 10 April. A man came into our store, looking at our phones. He said he was interested in buying the Mobicell which was on display, so my manager went to the back to get it. Immediately afterwards, three more men entered the store, of which one was armed. They told us to keep quiet, took us into the office and left with three big Shoprite bags filled with cellphones. I have never been that scared before.”
Manager of MTN, Maria Tsunyane, said that she heard a gunshot: “The people fell to the floor, some ran away. It brought back terrifying memories from the time MTN was robbed at gunpoint.”
Centre manager at Thaba Mall, Eventia Mckay said that the mall, in cooperation with SAPS, is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that it will never happen again. “After consultation, we have taken several preventative steps which will make it very difficult for aspiring robbers. Two of the robbers were apprehended in the meantime and the firearm used during the robbery was confiscated. More leads are being followed up. We want to thank our customers for their ongoing support and for understanding,” McKay said.