WOODLANDS COMPLEX RAIDED

MBABANE – On Tuesday night, some protesters left untold damage at Woodlands Shopping Centre.

Almost all the shops at the shopping centre were broken into and the ATMs damaged. Windows in the shops, as well as the police post situated at the shopping centre, were shattered with stones and uprooted or broken steel pipes of road signs. Windows in the lower floor of the building were broken from The Liquor Shop to the far corner of the building. Shoprite Supermarket suffered the most damage. The shop was broken into and everything inside was looted and the shelves were damaged. Not even a single item was left inside the supermarket.

Welders

During a visit to the shopping centre yesterday, these reporters found welders at work at the entrance of the supermarket. There were no people at the premises except for security guards and the workmen found at the Shoprite Supermarket entrance. The floor in the Liquor Shop was full of broken glass. There was a strong smell of liquor and broken glass from bottles that were smashed on the floor at The Liquor Shop. The Engen Garage convenience store is among the most affected shops as its doors were left wide open and everything inside was looted. One of the glass doors of the police post on the right side of the building appeared to have been hit with a hard object that caused cracks.

In some of the shops, the proprietors were found collecting what was left of their looted stock. Link Pharmacy was also looted and nothing was left on the shelves, as well as the Eswatini Mobile and MTN Eswatini outlets, which were also broken into.  The Pizza eatery was also not spared from the looting at the complex. The screen of the Nedbank ATM was shattered while the Swaziland Building Society ATM had been removed and there was a gaping hole on the wall from where it was removed. The First National Bank ATM was damaged, especially its cash dispensary slot.

Forced

Although there was no sign of forced entry at Broadband Technologies International, The Kitchen and Cafe Amora on the upper floor, their front windows were shattered. It could not be established how the protesters managed to transport all the looted items. However, in some areas, there were reports to the effect that some used motor vehicles and trucks to carry the stolen goods while others carried their loot on their heads. The value of the damage and loss had not been ascertained by the time of going to print. The people who were found at the shopping centre were reluctant to respond to questions from the media.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: