“But they broke the glass door with hammers and vandalised the shelves. They also then started a fire inside the store,” Maloka said.
Maloka said 12 staff members who were inside the store, managed to escape through the emergency back entrance.
He said firefighters had managed to extinguish the blaze.
“The management at the mall decided that they would shut down the entire mall in the next hour.”
Gauteng police could not immediately comment on the matter.
TimesLIVE
Clicks store vandalised with hammers and set alight
Image: Ekurhuleni Disaster Management
A mall in Alberton on the East Rand was forced to shut down after a Clicks store at the centre was vandalised and set alight on Monday morning.
Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesperson Eric Maloka told SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE that EFF supporters caused havoc at Lemon Tree Mall in Alberton about 9am on Monday.
This comes as the EFF is leading a protest aimed at shutting stores run by the beauty and health retailer countrywide, after it ran an advert deemed demeaning to black hair.
“The employees [of Clicks] saw them [EFF supporters] approaching the mall and they managed to close all the doors before they could enter.
“But they broke the glass door with hammers and vandalised the shelves. They also then started a fire inside the store,” Maloka said.
Maloka said 12 staff members who were inside the store, managed to escape through the emergency back entrance.
He said firefighters had managed to extinguish the blaze.
“The management at the mall decided that they would shut down the entire mall in the next hour.”
Gauteng police could not immediately comment on the matter.
TimesLIVE
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