THEIR kasi supermarket was closed for a few days with heaps of groceries locked inside.
Over 500 residents who gathered outside the supermarket in KwaNobuhle kasi, Uitenhage on Monday afternoon were ready to clean out the store!
They pushed over rubbish bins and carried bags as they shouted: “Sassa won’t pay us on 1 April, so give us food!”
The two owners of the store allegedly fought a few days ago and shut the supermarket before leaving, but they made it a breeding ground for looting!
There’s already a hole in the zinc sheet that was broken at the back entrance to the supermarket.
For over five hours, the crowd gathered, with some sitting on street pavements, others leaning on walls and others in the back of old bakkies, ready for action.
Public Order police commander Colonel-Lieutenant Patrick Goeda was heard saying to his team: “Guys, let’s rather talk to these people instead of responding with pepper spray and bullets!”
Residents later shouted at the police: “We want food, we want food, we want food!”
Soon a truck roared past them to take the groceries to town. That’s when anger boiled over as the people realised that the police wouldn’t budge!
“Let’s go to Kwa-Joji spaza in Zolalanga Street and loot,” they were heard saying.
The residents, including children, sprinted to Zolalanga Street but found that shop also closed.
Police spokesman Sergeant Majola Nkohli said no case had been opened in connection with the attempted looting.
