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A day after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced strict measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, South Africans in their droves went shopping to stock up on essentials.
Queues at the Makro in Woodmead, Johannesburg, snaked throughout the store. They also lined the aisles of the Makro branch in Wonderboom, Pretoria.
Toilet paper, porridge, bulk cans of food and bags of flour were some of the essentials piled into numerous trolleys.
One shopper, Mphumi Zondi, who stood in one of the long lines, told News24 she was preparing for the unknown.
"I've been listening to the news and I've seen the lockdown in Italy. They are running out of essentials, perishable goods and toilet paper. So I am preparing for the future because I don't know what it holds," she said.
READ | Wipe privilege: The psychology behind toilet paper panic buying
"I don't like uncertainties so it's better for me to prepare in advance," Zondi added.
Standing with a trolley filled with toilet paper and soap, Ace Maluleke and his friend Innocent Ntsume told News24 that it was only their first stop.
"We are not done. We are coming back tomorrow. We even identified a Chinese wholesaler where we are going to go too to stock up," Maluleke said.
Extreme measures have been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Schools will be closed from Wednesday and gatherings of more than a hundred people have been prohibited.
At the time of publication, South Africa had 62 confirmed cases.
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