Times Of Swaziland: GROCERY, ALCOHOL WORTH MILLIONS DESTROYED AS BOXER BURNS

GROCERY, ALCOHOL WORTH MILLIONS DESTROYED AS BOXER BURNS
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Thokozani Mamba on 23/09/2022 06:47:00


SIMUNYE – Boxer Supermarket has suffered another setback as its branch in
Simunye Plaza was in flames in the wee hours of yesterday and millions of liquor
and grocery items were lost in the fire.
Last month, Boxer’s sister supermarket at Tshaneni was broken into by 12
gunmen.According to Boxer Supermarket Regional Manager Nicholus Lukhele, he
received a call at around 3am, informing him about the fire at the
supermarket.He said he was still waiting for his superiors in South Africa to
quantify the damages. “I cannot talk much for now as I am still waiting for my
superiors to assess and quantify the loss,” he briefly said.
The burnt items included refrigerators, alcoholic beverages, groceries and the
roofing and wall. Siteki National Fire and Emergency Services personnel attended
to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire at the supermarket.Officers from
the Siteki Police Station and Simunye, led by Justice Mabuza, who heads the
Criminal Investigations Department (CID), were found at the scene. According to
an eyewitness who was first to be at the scene, the fire started at the liquor
shop and extended to the supermarket.
Investigations
The eyewitness said they suspected a fault from the transformer to have started
the inferno, though investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the cause. The
transformer is within the supermarket’s premises. Worth mentioning is that the
structure housing the transformer had its doors wide open when this reporter
visited the scene. “We suspect that the transformer might have been the cause
of the fire, because it is housed near the liquor shop that was extensively
burnt. A large flame was seen just before dawn and we rushed to the scene. Some
people called the police and the firemen. The firemen took about an hour while
the police promptly arrived and warned us not to come near the scene,” said
the witness. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent
Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter.
She said police were still conducting investigations into the circumstances that
led to the burning of the supermarket. Meanwhile, last month, the
supermarket’s safe and Swaziland Building Society (SBS) automated  teller
machine (ATM) were bombed by 12 gunmen at Tshaneni. The 12 men were armed with
an AK 47 rifle and pistols. They further proceeded to Puma Filling Station
convenience store but failed to dismantle the safe.
They further went on to ZP Cellular shop within the shopping centre and stole
cellphones and other electronic gadgets, including an undisclosed amount of
money that was for FNB Cash Plus and MTN Mobile Money, as well as cash retrieved
in the cash register.
Retrieved at the Boxer Supermarket for forensic purposes were; a huge hammer
used to break the door and the safe, a CCTV footage recording device and other
debris collected by the police inside the supermarket. SIMUNYE – Boxer
Supermarket has suffered another setback as its branch in Simunye Plaza was in
flames in the wee hours of yesterday and millions of liquor and grocery items
were lost in the fire. Last month, Boxer’s sister supermarket at Tshaneni was
broken into by 12 gunmen. According to Boxer Supermarket Regional Manager
Nicholus Lukhele, he received a call at around 3am, informing him about the fire
at the supermarket.
He said he was still waiting for his superiors in South Africa to quantify the
damages. “I cannot talk much for now as I am still waiting for my superiors to
assess and quantify the loss,” he briefly said. The burnt items included
refrigerators, alcoholic beverages, groceries and the roofing and wall. Siteki
National Fire and Emergency Services personnel attended to the scene and managed
to extinguish the fire at the supermarket.
Officers from the Siteki Police Station and Simunye, led by Justice Mabuza, who
heads the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), were found at the scene.
According to an eyewitness who was first to be at the scene, the fire started at
the liquor shop and extended to the supermarket.
Investigations
The eyewitness said they suspected a fault from the transformer to have started
the inferno, though investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the cause. The
transformer is within the supermarket’s premises. Worth mentioning is that the
structure housing the transformer had its doors wide open when this reporter
visited the scene. “We suspect that the transformer might have been the cause
of the fire, because it is housed near the liquor shop that was extensively
burnt. A large flame was seen just before dawn and we rushed to the scene. Some
people called the police and the firemen. The firemen took about an hour while
the police promptly arrived and warned us not to come near the scene,” said
the witness.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile
Vilakati confirmed the matter. She said police were still conducting
investigations into the circumstances that led to the burning of the
supermarket. Meanwhile, last month, the supermarket’s safe and Swaziland
Building Society (SBS) automated  teller machine (ATM) were bombed by 12 gunmen
at Tshaneni. The 12 men were armed with an AK 47 rifle and pistols. They further
proceeded to Puma Filling Station convenience store but failed to dismantle the
safe.
They further went on to ZP Cellular shop within the shopping centre and stole
cellphones and other electronic gadgets, including an undisclosed amount of
money that was for FNB Cash Plus and MTN Mobile Money, as well as cash retrieved
in the cash register. Retrieved at the Boxer Supermarket for forensic purposes
were; a huge hammer used to break the door and the safe, a CCTV footage
recording device and other debris collected by the police inside the
supermarket.