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- A shopper was taken to hospital with an injured ankle after EFF members attacked at least two Clicks stores in Komani.
- More than six angry “fighters” entered Nonesi Mall Clicks and pushed through the metal shelves after preventing guards from lowering a door.
- The mall said it sent CCTV footage of the incident to the owner and Clicks for further action.
- A circulating video also captured the second incident on Cathcart Road in Komani.
A morning shopper injured an ankle and was rushed to hospital after a group of angry EFF supporters stormed at least two Clicks stores in Komani, formerly Queenstown, shoving shelves on Monday.
At Nonesi Mall, the center’s manager, Yolanda Moss, said a woman, in her 30s, was about to pay at the checkout when more than six people dressed in EFF suits attacked the store.
Moss said the group had previously attacked a second Clicks store in the city located on Cathcart Road in the city center, where video of the incident was captured, before heading to the sister store in the mall.
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At Nonesi Mall, Moss said the shopper fell and injured her ankle after possibly slipping on a hand sanitizer that protesters threw on the floor, or after he hit her with a shelf.
The attack on the Komani branch is one of many demonstrations targeting Clicks stores across the country. Some have passed without incident, while others have turned violent.
A case of intentional property damage was opened with police after the incident, Eastern Cape police spokesman Colonel Sibongile Soci confirmed.
He said no arrests have been made.
The violent scenes in some Clicks stores come after the franchise received a backlash after an ad on its website described images of black hair as “damaged” and “dry.”
News24 reported that the ad described the hair of two black women as “dry and damaged” and “curly and dull”, while the description of the hair of two white women was “fine and straight” and “normal.”
The ad went viral and sparked public outrage, prompting Clicks Group CEO Vikesh Ramsunder to apologize for the “insensitive and offensive ad.”
READ HERE | EFF’s Shivambu: Clicks Must Miss Profit After Racist Ad
Despite the apology, the EFF issued a directive to all its “ground forces” to “help” the Clicks to close Monday through Friday.
Nonesi Mall Clicks branch manager Zola Bottoman declined to comment and referred Clicks national spokesperson Susann Caminada to News24.
Caminada said he will respond at a later stage. Your comment will be added once received.
PHOTOS | Protesters use hammers to knock down the Alberton Clicks door and set parts of the store on fire
A video of the incident on Cathcart Road is circulating on social media showing EFF members / supporters looting the store.
Moss said the mall and Clicks implemented measures to prevent the EFF from entering their facilities.
“No one could have stopped them. They were very forceful,” Moss said.
Moss said angry protesters forcefully prevented a security guard from lowering a metal blind.
She said the angry man stopped him midway and rolled him up allowing his fellow protesters to enter the store.
Once they were inside the store, she said they ransacked the store.
“We had a plan of action. We made the decision to close all the entrances after receiving a call that they were attacking another Clicks store on the main street. I went to the control room and informed the guards. As we talked, we saw a white bakkie approaching and we knew they were inside the mall.
“When they forced the door open, they also broke the disinfectant and it leaked on the floor. The shopper could have slipped on the disinfectant or could have been forced by the impact of the falling shelves. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Her ankle looked like it was. broken, “Moss said.
“They were very quick, they were going in and out and when the police arrived they were already gone,” Moss said.
Moss said CCTV footage of the incident was sent to Clicks and the mall owner for further action.
The store has been temporarily closed.
