A fire caused havoc early on Wednesday morning at Ravele. The blazing inferno left the well-known Real Supermarket in charred ruins.
What had sparked the blaze is still unknown. Hundreds of people watched in disbelief as firefighters battled to put the flames out. The damage is estimated to run into millions of rands.
The owner of the shop, Mr Soyed Patel, said he had received a call from his security company at 02:45, informing him that his shop was on fire. "I rushed to the shop as I stay in Louis Trichardt, only to find that my whole shop was in flames. I called the police and firefighters, who responded very fast but could not save anything as the whole building was engulfed in flames. We stood there helplessly as all the stock went up in flames. I am devastated," he said.
Patel said he was not suspecting any foul play as a person had been sleeping in the shop. "What we are suspecting is an electrical fault," he said. Patel added that the fire was a big setback for him and he would have to start from scratch.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that they are investigating the incident. "We have assembled a team of experts who will dig deeper to determine the cause of the fire," he said.