Four armed men robbed a major retail clothing store in Town Centre, 10 minutes after it opened on Sunday morning.
Mitchells Plain police station, which is a few hundred metres from the store, opened a business robbery investigation, said provincial police’s spokesperson Sgt Wesley Twigg.
“The robbery took place on 29 March 2026 at approximately 09:10, when the suspects entered the store and threatened staff with firearms,” Twigg said. “The men stole an undisclosed amount of cash and mobile phones before escaping in a white Volkswagen Polo. Police confirmed that no shots were fired during the incident and no staff were injured.”
Store identified
Crime watch chat groups and social media identified the store as Ackermans, which has been in the shopping and transport complex in Eastridge for more than 30 years.
The store is one of the last major retailers still in the complex. Many other major retailers have left the hub due to a sharp increase in crime in the precinct. The Town Centre used to be the main shopping hub in Mitchells Plain for many years.
Social media commentary
Several people discussed the incident on social media. None expressed surprise because they said the shop’s position created an easy getaway for criminals, though some expressed surprise that there were still major retailers left in the complex.
One said: “Yes. It’s easy to get away from the shop quickly.”
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Another said: “They only have one security standing at the door with no gun.”
A third added: “It’s the first store from the entrance near the library and I sometimes feel it’s too quiet and sketchy so it was bound to happen. Easy exit too.”
Other commenters wanted to know what happened to the footage from the cameras that had been reportedly installed in the area.
“And where is the surveillance cameras of the town centre that they were bragging about a few months back?” one woman asked.
Another replied: “It’s offline.”
Anyone with information about the robbery can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or report anonymously using the MySAPS mobile application.
