Shoppers at Gugulethu Mall in Cape Town were gripped in terror on Tuesday as gunshots echoed at the entrance, prompting customers to flee for their lives in an incident that left one man dead.
Sinalo Nombembe, a witness, shared her experience of narrowly escaping the flying bullets.
"I was walking towards the entrance when I heard gunshots. I was afraid of being hit by a stray bullet and I prayed hard to be safe," said Sinalo.
"Some shops at the mall quickly closed their doors as customers ran inside so that they could be safe. Everyone was screaming and trying to find a place to hide. It was chaotic."
Just outside the mall's entrance, a man lay lifeless in a pool of blood, a sling bag by his side, still clutching his phone.
A horrified woman arrived at the scene, screaming that she had been with the victim only two hours earlier.
"He works at the salon. We were sitting with him just hours ago, having drinks, when he received a call and told us that he was going to the mall to meet someone," the woman said.
"We didn't realise it was him [who had been killed] until someone described the clothes he was wearing. That's when we knew that it was him."
The victim had been shot about seven times, mostly in his face.
Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, spokesperson for the Western Cape SAPS, confirmed that the Gugulethu SAPS is investigating a murder case.
"On arrival at a local shopping complex, SAPS found the body of an unknown man who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel," said Swartbooi.
