Police are on high alert in Ratanda after alleged shoplifter dies

JOHANNESBURG - Police are on high alert in Ratanda after a 33-year-old man who has been identified as Bandile Shabalala died at the local Shoprite supermarket at the weekend.
 
According to police, two men were accused of shoplifting and locked at the back of the store.
 
Community members are disputing the claim, alleging that the man was left in a cold room.
 
Gauteng police spokesperson Noxolo Kweza says an inquest docket has been opened while a case of common assault is being investigated.

"Two men accused of shoplifting were locked at the back of the store. One of the men died during closing time after complaining of stomach aches," she said.

Shoprite has released a statement saying it will work with police as they conduct their investigation.

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng are calling on the retail giant Shoprite to take accountability following the death of Shabalala.

The EFF said Shoprite should compensate Shabalala’s family because its employees took the law into their own hands.

"While the EFF does not condone the theft and lawlessness, there is no justification for the Shoprite management taking the law into their own hands by detaining a human being in a cold freezer for hours, leading to his untimely death," said spokesperson Dumisani Baleni.