The central business area of Louis Trichardt has been the target of a spate of crime for quite some time. This time the Edgars store in Songozwi Street was the latest victim to be added to the list.

On Sunday, June 28, at around 08:45, two armed robbers gained entrance through the back door of Edgars. They held the staff hostage while they forced one of the managers to open the cash office for them.

“The two armed suspects left with a small amount of cash,” Makhado police spokesperson Capt. Maano Sadiki said on Tuesday.

“Thank God nobody was hurt in the process,” said Mr Bundi Mathoko, the manager of Edgars, the day after the business robbery. The store had just opened and the robbers were not in contact with any customers.

Mr Mathoko showed the Zoutpansberger how the robbers had gained entrance. They apparently parked their vehicle in the Edgars parking lot. Nobody took much notice because the parking lot is used by a church on Sundays. The suspects pressed the button of the first door, which opened. Normally, a security guard would be able to see from inside through a window who has entered and would then open the second door. The second door, however, was open since the staff were still entering the shop.

The two armed robbers entered through the second door and ordered the staff members to lie down in the passage leading to the cash office. Mr Mathoko was not on duty that Sunday. Assistant Manager Mr Peter Davids was in his office when he heard a big noise.

“I saw the staff members running with terrified expressions on their faces. I also got a fright and thought this was our last day. I ran into another section of the shop to hide there and I contacted the area manager to inform the police and the security company,” said Davids.

Mr Quinton Buys, department manager, was held at gunpoint. He described the suspects.

“They are men in their early thirties; the one is about 1,7m tall and the other one about 1.8m, with a stocky build. They spoke English with a South African accent and when they left, they spoke in Sotho. They each had a 9mm pistol.”

Buys said that by the time he was ordered to the cash office, they had already entered and opened one safe. “The one told me he wanted access to the stores’ cell phones, but his partner said ‘We don’t want cell phones’ and they left with the cash. They were in and out in about 15 minutes,” Buys said. The police and Big 5 Security were quickly on the scene, but the criminals had already left.

The amount stolen is estimated at around R2 000. The, loss, however is much more. Eight locks of safes have to be changed at an estimated amount of R5 000 and many other locks will also have to be changed. The robbers left with the bag with all the keys.

Capt. Sadiki said that no arrests had been made and that the investigation was still underway. He could not as yet say whether the recent robberies in the central business area were connected.