{"id":861903,"date":"2026-05-29T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=861903"},"modified":"2026-05-29T10:29:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:29:44","slug":"united-states-issues-warning-to-people-visiting-one-of-the-biggest-shopping-malls-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/861903\/united-states-issues-warning-to-people-visiting-one-of-the-biggest-shopping-malls-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"United States issues warning to people visiting one of the biggest shopping malls in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The United States Embassy and Consulates in South Africa have issued a warning to US citizens about visiting Menlyn Park Shopping Mall following the explosion at the Woolworths store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an alert notice issued on Thursday night, the embassy urged visitors to remain cautious while authorities continue their investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt approximately 01h00 on 28 May, an explosion occurred at Woolworths at Menlyn Mall. US citizens should avoid the area until further notice,\u201d the embassy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It added that the South African Police Service (SAPS) discovered a small device during a sweep of the area after the blast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While no injuries were reported and the advisory described damage as minimal, police have not yet confirmed whether the incident was isolated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSAPS is still investigating the situation, and it is unclear whether this was an isolated incident,\u201d the embassy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The embassy advised Americans to exercise caution when visiting the Menlyn Mall area, remain aware of their surroundings, and avoid large crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also advised Americans to monitor local media for updates and follow instructions from local authorities. It also urged people to report suspicious activity immediately and plan alternative routes where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Menlyn Park Shopping Centre is one of the largest shopping malls in South Africa and a major retail destination in Pretoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on the corner of Lois Avenue and Atterbury Road, the mall is the second-largest in the country behind Fourways Mall, with a gross lettable area of 177,000 square metres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shopping centre houses more than 400 stores, including international brands, local boutiques, and major anchor tenants such as Checkers, Pick n Pay, and Woolworths. It also features extensive dining options and a movie complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite its prominence and security measures, an explosive device detonated inside the Woolworths store on Thursday, causing damage to part of the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolworths is heightening surveillance across its stores<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, Pretoria<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Images released by SAPS<\/a><\/strong> show damage in the breakfast cereal aisle, where the blast ripped through shelves, scattering products across the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twisted metal shelving, shattered display panels and debris can be seen throughout the damaged section of the store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said several specialised SAPS units responded to the scene immediately after the explosion, including detectives, the SAPS K9 Unit, Crime Scene Management teams and the SAPS Bomb Disposal Unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have launched a full investigation to determine both the nature of the device and the motive behind the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woolworths confirmed the incident in a statement and expressed relief that no staff members were harmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The retailer said the store reopened at 13h00 after police determined that it was safe to resume operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe understand this news may be concerning for our people, customers and community,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a precaution, we have heightened vigilance and surveillance across our stores. The safety of our people and our customers remains our highest priority, and Woolworths is fully committed to maintaining a secure environment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States Embassy and Consulates in South Africa have issued a warning to US citizens about visiting a major shopping mall in South Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":861906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[25324,853,25510,949],"class_list":["post-861903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-menlyn-park-shopping-centre","tag-south-africa","tag-united-states-embassy-and-consulates-in-south-africa","tag-woolworths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861903"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861914,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861903\/revisions\/861914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}