Police were involved in a stand-off with armed robbers holding Shoprite staff at Nyanga Junction hostage on Monday May 1.
Ten hostages who were held by armed robbers during a 10-hour long stand-off with police, were released at 5.30pm.
A security officer who was shot, died of his injuries in hospital.
Two perpetrators were also shot, and one died, while the other one is in hospital.
Manenberg police spokesman Captain Ian Bennett said they are not sure how many perpetrators there were, but it is alleged that five others got away.
The area around Shoprite was declared safe at 9pm, when forensic officers entered to gather evidence.
At the time of going to press, unconfirmed reports suggested that the perpetrators’ attempt to rob the supermarket of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) money, had been interrupted when the security company’s tactical response team arrived on the scene.
During this time, the staff, including the manager of the store, were held hostage.
A security officer and one of the alleged perpetrators were shot and wounded when the two parties opened fire.
Captain Bennett, said the hostage drama unfolded at around 7am, as staff reported for duty.
“The security company secured the scene until SAPS arrived. Both the security officer and alleged perpetrator, who were injured during the shoot-out, were taken to hospital for treatment,” he said.
Duinefontein Road in Manenberg was cordoned off and all other people at Nyanga Junction were evacuated.
Meanwhile, Metrorail trains were delayed by more than 60 minutes because of the situation.
Trains going to Cape Town from the Chris Hani and Kapteinsklip lines were stationary at Philippi and Stock Road stations, and those from Cape Town to Chris Hani and Kapteinsklip did not go further than Heideveld station.
Metrorail’s spokesperson, Daphne Kayster, said on Monday May 1, that a bus service had been operating, and that trains only started operating normally through the affected area, once they got police clearance that it was safe to do so.
