Four men stormed into the jewellery store, while one man was waiting in the getaway car, a white Volkswagen Polo. A suspect held one of the employees at gunpoint, while the other three men allegedly used heavy metal objects to smash the glass showcases. They stole rings and necklaces with an estimated value of R 1.5 million. The men demanded access to the safe, but immediately fled the scene when the centre’s security arrived. According to a store worker, the rings are worth R4000-R8000 each.

Ilse Pretorius, spokesperson of the Brandwag Centre, says nobody was injured during the robbery, and the store’s staff has been taken to Mediclinic Bloemfontein for trauma counselling. Police spokesperson Chaka Marope has confirmed the robbery.

An eyewitness from a clothing shop next door says: "I heard the breaking glass, then I went to the door to see what is happening. I saw two men standing there. I did not see the other men. One man was wearing a weave, and I thought it was a woman. The one man was thin and the other one was fat. The one man was speaking to the other in Zulu and said that they were going to ‘kill that dog’, then the security officer ran away to call the others."

Police are asking anyone who sees a white Volkswagen Polo with the registration number FZP058FS to contact the Park Road Police Station.

OFM News