"I KNEW that God would keep me safe, because that is what my parents always told me. I was still scared. But, I just sat quietly and closed my eyes. When I heard the loud bangs, I held my hands tightly together and prayed that nobody had died.”
Those were the words of 11-year-old Samaria Tamieka Andrew as she recalled how she, her uncle, Samuel Andrew and his friend, Trevor Pillay walked into an armed robbery in progress at a supermarket in Orient Hills, Isipingo, last Tuesday.
They had gone to the supermarket to buy bread and sweets.
At the time, an armed gang had simultaneously targeted the supermarket and a liquor tore at the Orient Mall.
Pillay and other shoppers at the supermarket had been assaulted by the gunmen and robbed of their belongings and the liquor store manager Sagren Moodley was shot in the face.
Surveillance footage from the supermarket showed Samaria entering the shop with her uncle and his friend, Trevor Pillay, while the robbery was in progress at about 3pm.
As soon as they walked in, one of the gunmen immediately started assaulting Pillay.
Samaria attempted to walk out of the shop but when she saw Pillay being assaulted, she walked towards the back of the shop where she crouched next to the owner of the shop in an aisle.
The other gunmen were seen assaulting and robbing shoppers.
The owner of the liquor store, who did not want to be named for fear of his safety, said three gunmen entered the store at the same time.
“They had entered the liquor store and one of them asked to purchase three loose cigarettes. While the one was being served, the other two pushed through the security gate and made their way behind the counter,” he said.
Phumlani Mkhize, who was at the counter at the time, said both men held him and the manager Sagren Moodley at gunpoint.
“They pushed us into a corner and began loading liquor into a trolley.
“They also tried to smash open the cash till but they couldn’t open it. When they walked away from us to load the liquor in their get-away vehicle, Moodley reached for the firearm which was kept in a safe place in the store. He ran behind them,” Mkhize said.
Moodley fired warning shots at the suspects, not knowing that there were about four other armed men robbing the supermarket next to the liquor store.
“Those suspects came running out from the shop and fired at Sagren and shot him,” Mhkize added.
Moodley, 57, a grandfather of one from Chatsworth, who had managed the liquor store since it opened 13 years ago was shot at the back of his neck.
The bullet exited through his mouth, shattering his jaw. He underwent surgery on Saturday and is recovering in hospital.
The owner of the liquor store said only expensive liquor was stolen.
He urged business owners to be more vigilant, saying Isipingo was becoming a hotspot for armed robberies.
“You never know when they will strike. The shopping centre was so busy at the time. Nobody expected this to happen. It is more scary when an armed robbery occurs during peak time, when there are families with children shopping.
“Isipingo is becoming dangerous. (Robbers) coming in with guns and stealing in broad daylight is brazen. As business owners, we are always unsafe,” he said.
Speaking to the POST with her dad, Jonah Andrew, Samaria recalled feeling “both brave and scared at the same time” when she saw the gunmen.
“I knew that God would keep me safe, because that is what my parents told me. I was still scared. I just sat quietly and closed my eyes. When I heard the loud bangs, I held my hands tightly together and prayed that nobody died,” she said.
Pillay said when they were at the entrance to the shop they noticed a man running out in a panicked state.
“I thought that he had robbed the shop and it was a petty crime. But, he ran out when he saw the robbers. He should have warned us, especially since we had a little girl with us,” he said.
He said as they entered the shop, he was slapped and punched by the gunmen.
“They just started hitting me and I did not know what was going on. Samaria was next to me and I was worried about her. She eventually split up from me. Initially, I thought that the man was a security guard and that he may have confused me with the man who ran out of the shop in haste.
“I kept telling the man that I did not steal anything from the shop as he hit me.
It was only when he asked me for my cellphone and began searching my pockets that I realised it was an armed robbery,” Pillay said.
He was robbed of his wallet, keys and cash.
Another Orient Hills resident, who is a community policing forum member and did not want to be named for safety reasons, said when he walked into the supermarket, he too was accosted by the gunmen.
“When I saw them, I decided to turn around but the gunmen pushed me into the back of the shop and searched me.
“They took all my belongings, cash and cellphone. I was also assaulted. They ran out once they heard the gunshots. I followed them, but by the time we could get outside, a man had already been shot and was lying on the ground,” he said.
The man said he recognised the victim of the shooting as the manager of the liquor store.
“I put him in the car and took him to the medical towers in Isipingo. He was responsive. I am thankful that he survived and that nobody else was seriously injured. This seemed like a well-orchestrated robbery. We hope that police catch the culprits soon, before they strike at other shopping centres,” he said.
Samaria’s dad, Jonah Andrew, said he had just woken up from a sleep as he was on night shift duty and got the news that Samaria had been in an armed robbery.
“My heart raced but I was thankful that she was safe and unharmed. When I saw the footage of the robbery, I cannot describe how I felt. Seeing her so close to a man with a gun, and watching her reaction, I froze. I always talk to her about crime and she is street smart for her age.
“She sees things that happen on the news and I am glad that she adapted herself to the situation and did not react in a way that would have alarmed the armed men or made them feel threatened enough to hurt her. I thank God for having His hands over my little girl. They could have taken her as a hostage or even kidnapped her. God is good,” he said.
Junaid Iqbal, chairperson of the Isipingo Community Policing Forum and the Isipingo Business Forum, said business owners were urged to be extra vigilant and to beef up their security.
“We encourage them to always be aware of suspicious people and if needed, they should call their security companies or 10111 for assistance.
“We are working closely with the police and security companies to ensure safety of businesses in and around Isipingo,” he added.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda, spokesperson for KwaZulu Natal police, said Isipingo police were investigating a case of business robbery and attempted murder following the incident.