Three men held up a convenience store in Walmer Estate on Thursday February 2.
Elizabeth Mradu, who has worked as a cleaner at the Latvan Cafe for 16 years, said she thought the men were customers when they came in. But then she noticed one of them reaching for a gun.
That’s when she ran to the back of the shop where the owners were resting and told them they were being robbed.
“I was so scared. I took the bed and pushed it against the door. I didn’t see what happened after that,” said Ms Mradu.
Muhammed Makasud, one of the brothers who run the store, said moments after Ms Mradu told him what was happening, he found himself starting down the barrel of a gun.
The robbers took R1 400, 20 packs of cigarettes and a cellphone before Mr Makasud’s brother hit one of them over the head with a bread crate. The men then fled.
“My brother took a crate and hit this people. It is the first time this is happening since we work here. There were people inside, we were all scared.
“We have a camera so we can see the people,” said Mr Makasud.
Woodstock police spokesman Sergeant Hilton Malila said police were investigating a business robbery. The robbers had fled on foot without firing a shot and were still at large.
Anyone with information about the robbery can call investigating officer Warrant Officer David Miles at 021 486 2840 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
