Cape Town - An elderly man, accused of shoplifting, was locked in a freezer for hours allegedly by security officers.
Sandile Khwintshi, 52, was at Shoprite at the Gugulethu Mall when he was caught with two small drills on Sunday before 12pm. He was taken to the operational offices where he was assaulted by the staff members who then locked him in a cold storage.
The man explained: “I was at Shoprite on Sunday when a man I know asked me to keep the drills. I thought he bought them so I walked out of the shop.
“The security stopped me and said I had stolen the items. I kept trying to explain to them that I had not taken the drilling machines but they didn’t want to hear anything. They said I was the thief.
“They beat me up and then they threw me in the walk-in freezer.”
He said they kept him in the icecold room and did not check up on him until it was time to leave. “I was in the freezer from 12pm in the afternoon until 7pm when the shop was closed.
The staff didn’t come to check on me at all up until they released me.
“By the time they came to me I was really cold, shivering and in pain because of the beating, my thumb was swollen. Emotionally, I’m still not feeling good. I am planning on opening a case against Shoprite.
Gugulethu CPF spokesperson Linda Kabeni said they were deeply shocked by the incident.
“At a time when we are supposed to be celebrating the democratic dispensation, a black person is still not being respected. When someone has been accused of theft, in our understanding, law enforcement agencies must be called; you don’t put people into fridges. We are dismayed by Shoprite but we understand why they did it, it’s because it’s a poor black person who has no means of taking legal action against Shoprite.
“We are calling upon all Chapter 9 institutions, like the SA Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector and the media to hold Shoprite accountable for their actions.”
Shoprite said initial reports indicated that at no time was anybody held in a cold storage facility at Shoprite Gugulethu on Sunday.
“As it is a police matter, we cannot provide further comment. We will give our full co-operation to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to assist their investigations.” Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said police were investigating a case of kidnapping, and that no arrests have been made.
Anyone with any information can contact Crime Stop on 0860010111.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za
Cape Argus