Shoprite Pier 14: Reckless Staff Injured Child, No Accountability After 2 Years

On 3 June 2024, a very serious incident took place inside the Shoprite store at Pier 14 in Port Elizabeth. My cousin was shopping with her mother and her 2-year-old son when several trolley attendants were recklessly racing trolleys through the aisles of the store. They were warned that a small child was nearby, but the behaviour continued.

One of those trolleys struck the toddler, causing him to fall and hit his head on the floor. The behaviour of the men involved raised serious concerns that they may have been intoxicated while on duty. Whether that was the case or not, their reckless conduct inside a store full of customers – including a toddler , was completely unacceptable.

The aftermath has been devastating. The child had to see a GP and was referred to a psychologist, where he was later diagnosed with PTSD. There have been ongoing medical visits and expenses ever since. At the time, my cousin was also pregnant, and the trauma surrounding this incident coincided with the heartbreaking loss of the baby she was carrying.

What makes this even more unacceptable is that since the incident happened nearly two years ago, she has been communicating with the store manager trying to resolve this matter. Despite this, she still feels the seriousness of what happened has not been properly addressed and there has been no meaningful accountability.

This happened inside your store at Pier 14. Customers should be safe in your aisles. A toddler was injured and a family has been dealing with the emotional and financial consequences ever since.

We are now asking publicly: what is Shoprite going to do about it?