Armed guards and police officers on Tuesday evening were guarding ATM machines of four major banks at the Phumulani Mall in Tembisa‚ Ekurhuleni‚ which was struck by a tornado a few hours earlier.
Cash was left exposed in the ATMS after the roofs of the Absa‚ Nedbank‚ FNB and Capitec banks were blown off.
Several other shops were also left with no cover when the tornado‚ which struck at about 3pm on Tuesday‚ ripped through the mall.
Local residents patiently stood on the other side of the fence watching officers clearing the debris and guarding the shops and ATM machines.
Workers who were making their way to their homes also stopped and joined the crowd.
Nobody was allowed into the mall‚ except for emergency vehicles and police officers.
Cash vans also made their way inside the mall to clear cash from the exposed ATMs.
Several cars which were parked inside the mall were? damaged. Tow trucks were used to remove the cars from the mall to enable police and guards to have a clear view.
There was no power in the mall and officers had to rely on torches mounted into their cars. The building housing the ATMs received more attention than other shops.
A local resident who identified himself as Sol Ramphele said their house and shacks were also affected by the storm and they had been waiting for emergency vehicles to attend to them.
“We are also ratepayers and we expect the emergency personnel to attend to us. All of their trucks are here at the mall‚” said Ramphele.
Armed guards and police guard damaged ATMs at mall after tornado
Armed guards and police officers on Tuesday evening were guarding ATM machines of four major banks at the Phumulani Mall in Tembisa‚ Ekurhuleni‚ which was struck by a tornado a few hours earlier.
Cash was left exposed in the ATMS after the roofs of the Absa‚ Nedbank‚ FNB and Capitec banks were blown off.
Several other shops were also left with no cover when the tornado‚ which struck at about 3pm on Tuesday‚ ripped through the mall.
Local residents patiently stood on the other side of the fence watching officers clearing the debris and guarding the shops and ATM machines.
Workers who were making their way to their homes also stopped and joined the crowd.
Nobody was allowed into the mall‚ except for emergency vehicles and police officers.
Cash vans also made their way inside the mall to clear cash from the exposed ATMs.
Several cars which were parked inside the mall were? damaged. Tow trucks were used to remove the cars from the mall to enable police and guards to have a clear view.
There was no power in the mall and officers had to rely on torches mounted into their cars. The building housing the ATMs received more attention than other shops.
A local resident who identified himself as Sol Ramphele said their house and shacks were also affected by the storm and they had been waiting for emergency vehicles to attend to them.
“We are also ratepayers and we expect the emergency personnel to attend to us. All of their trucks are here at the mall‚” said Ramphele.