Drama At Accra Mall

It was a drama worth seeing at the Accra Mall Wednesday as patrons of the shopping centre watched in awe, the ruthless manner with which the manager of the facility, Johan Venter, locked up four shops in the mall.

The scene threw the mall into a state of disarray, forcing patrons who could not stand the sight of the incensed manager’s conduct to abandon the premises to avoid any potential attack.

Weighed against what happens in other shopping malls, especially on occasions as Easter Friday’s, what happened at the Accra Mall cut a sore picture Accra’s biggest mall.

Grace Field Merchant (Ghana) Limited, operators of the four shops that fell victim to Johan Venter’s assault, the New Crusading Guide gathered, went into a five-year leasing agreement with Broll, the management company of the mall in 2008. The lease is expected to expire in November 2012.

But even before the lease expires, Johann Venter from South Africa has been demanding that as happens in his country, Grace Field Merchant (Ghana) Limited should compulsorily open for business on Sunday’s and on Public Holiday’s to which the company replied it could not comply, as it had to make time with God especially on Sunday’s and also, rest during holiday’s.

Back and forth, the case landed in court with Grace Field Merchant (Ghana) finally winning the case, but with Broll going on appeal. It was pending the final determination of the appeal that Johan Venter went to put the shops under lock and key.

According to the Director of the Grace Field Merchant, Mr. Atekpe, in an interview with the New Crusading GUIDE, management is now compelling them to work on Sundays as well as Public Holidays which was not part of the tenancy agreement.

The director also expressed shock at why management would insist that they work on Sundays and the holidays, even though they still paid their rents. He further accused the Manager, Mr. Johan Venter of once openly threatening that “he was going to ensure that Grace Field was totally dismissed from the Mall|” noting, that he strongly believed the latest action was to implement his threat.

He indicated that management went behind them to lock up their shops on Good Friday, knowing very well that they would not be around since it was a public holiday, and switched off all their power supply and water taps; thereby making it impossible for them to enter their own shops, and virtually turning all their customers away.

He lamented that the inhuman action by the management had really affected their sales and business that they could not stand the heat and darkness in the shops even after the doors were forcibly opened on the advice of the Airport Police.

Also in an interview with this paper, Chief Superintendent Ofosu Ackaah of the Airport Police Station explained that he was the one who sent his men to go and help make peace between the two parties, after the issue was brought to his notice.

He said his men advised the management to reopen the shops for the tenants or the tenants should force the locks open themselves so that if any of the factions was not satisfied they could go to court.

Meanwhile when this reporter caught up with Johan Venter on telephone to give his side of the story, he said “No comment please” and hanged up.