Tenants and employees at the Preller Square shopping centre in Bloemfontein gathered in front of Woolworths in remembrance of local business man, Louis Siemens, who was shot and killed on Thursday afternoon in the basement parking area of the complex.
Photo: Facebook
They sang a song and also prayed for Siemens’ family. Emotions ran high as Johan van den Berg, an owner of one of the stores in the centre, paid a heart wrenching tribute to Siemens.
Before leading the prayer, a teary eyed Van den Berg said: “I’m sad because I really think Louis was a person that is worth crying for.”
The crowd then had a moment of silence in honour of Siemens.
Siemens, managing director of the CityMed Day Hospital in the centre, was shot at around 15:30 yesterday. Two armed men fired four shots when Siemens exited the lift. The shooting seemed to be a well-executed hit.
According to police spokesperson, Wendy Nkabi, one man was arrested last night in connection with the shooting, while a manhunt is underway for two more suspects.
CityMed spokesperson, Vivienne Pistorius, was not available for comment, but Sister Liana van der Linde from CityMed said that they aren’t able to speak to the media as yet.
“We need to clear out internal matters first before we can discuss anything with the media. We will release a statement early next week,” she said.
Preller Square Management expressed their sincere condolences to the Siemen’s family, stating that their thoughts and prayers are with the family.
They also thanked Raubex Construction for assisting them in securing the area, as well as the South African Police Services for their quick response to the incident.
Pierce van Heerden and Jeretha Oosthuizen.
pierce@mahareng.co.za; jeretha@mahareng.co.za
