KwaZulu-Natal  police have confirmed that they are investigating an incident in which a man is alleged to have been killed by a security guard at Siyaya Cash and Carry — a large supermarket in the Pietermaritzburg central business district.

Provincial spokesperson Col Nqobile Gwala said: “It is alleged that today at 07:30am, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot by a security official while at a supermarket in Pietermaritz Street.”

She said a 51-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene while the firearm used was seized by the police. The suspect is expected to appear in court soon.

After the shooting,  pedestrians tried to loot the shop, while others started pelting motorists and the shop with stones.

The general manager of Pietermaritzburg’s crime-fighting initiative, Safe City, Lucas Holtzhausen, said while monitoring their surveillance cameras, the team spotted a large gathering outside the shop.

“This immediately drew suspicion. We alerted the police who descended speedily on the area,” said Holtzhausen.

He said he did not know the cause of the incident which was widely publicised on social media with videos and photographs.

A source told TimesLIVE the fracas had been “caused by a till slip”. He said the situation got tense to the extent that police reinforcements were requested.

The deceased was identified as a vendor plying his trade at a local taxi rank.

As with many of the shops, Siyaya Cash and Carry attracts a sizeable number of spaza shop owners and vendors as customers. The densely populated stretch of the city is notorious for criminal activity.

“We often find that there are many vagrants who loiter on the lookout for opportunities to commit crimes,” said Holtzhausen.

The shop’s owners were not immediately available to comment. 

TimesLIVE

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