“We’re Going Shopping Somewhere Else”: Shoppers Hide Behind Shelves During Mall Robbery

• A viral video shows terrified shoppers hiding on warehouse shelves during a robbery at a wholesale store in a South African mall
• Customers took cover behind boxes and climbed to different shelf levels to escape being spotted by the criminals
• Social media users shared their own harrowing experiences with robberies, with many finding dark humour in the survival tactics displayed

A frightening scene unfolded inside a South African wholesale store when customers were forced to hide from armed robbers. Content creator @gugugee16 shared the shocking video, showing how desperate shoppers scrambled for safety.

The footage captures people carefully climbing down from metal storage racks where they had hidden. Some women crouched on middle shelves, using boxes as cover, while several men climbed to the top for safety. Others squeezed into the bottom shelves, showing just how far people will go to protect themselves in the face of South Africa’s ongoing crime crisis.

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Watch the TikTok clip below.

South Africa's crime reality

South Africa continues to battle high crime rates, recording a crime index of 75.4 in 2024. Although this is one of the lowest figures since 2017, the country still has the highest crime index in Africa and is the fifth most dangerous in the world based on this measure.

The homicide rate rose by 23.26% in 2021, reaching 41.87 per 100,000 people. While crime levels have gone up and down over the years, mall robberies remain a serious problem for shoppers and businesses.

These crimes take a toll on victims, often leaving them anxious about visiting public places. Businesses also face major financial losses, not just from the theft itself but also from fewer customers after such incidents.

South Africans react to the terrifying scene

@Mawizah laughed:

"🤣🤣🤣Ay this man who says 'we're going shopping somewhere else,' who does he belong to?"

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@MaButhelezi MaShenge shared:

"For me, we entered the bank at Capitec. Robbers told everyone to go down and sleep... The funniest part, we slept until the police arrived, and after the robbers left, they shouted at us and said wake up, because they are going to come back and find you still sleeping..."

@MissK confessed:

"I just finished 5 packets of cheese curls because of stress😩"

@⭕honeyzee⭕ admitted:

"I know this is sad, but I wish I could keep watching it to know what happened 😭😭😭"

@shahamase Evryheid ❤️ recalled:

"For me, it was at a Mr price store. The robbers entered and closed the garage door while I was in the fitting room 😫 I came out at night, and I was the only one standing there. I was surprised how people behaved like this, for Jesus' sake 😢"

Other robbery incidents

• A shocking daylight robbery at a KFC drive-thru where a thief snatched food directly from an employee's hands had Mzansi in stitches.
• A Johannesburg woman shared her frightening experience when thieves in the CBD cut a large hole in her bag to access her belongings.
• Briefly News also covered how three women in KwaZulu-Natal were robbed by men falsely claiming to be police officers.

Source: Briefly News