UPDATE | Heidelberg man, 33, dies after being locked in cold storage for allegedly stealing chocolate

Bandile Shabalala, 33, died after a Shoprite manager allegedly locked him inside a cold storage room for allegedly stealing a chocolate bar.

Shabalala, initially reported as being 13 years old from reports given to police by the community, is believed to have been locked inside the cold storage for around 11 hours on Sunday.

His body was found outside an Avbob premises next to the Shoprite on Monday morning. 

News24 has established that Shabalala was unemployed. He was with two friends, who fled the scene, when security officials apprehended him.

Angry community members threw stones at the Shoprite and and damaged one of its doors on Monday morning.

Authorities try to hold back community members outside a Shoprite store in Ratanda, Heidelberg, where a man died after being locked inside a cold storage room overnight. (Alex Patrick, News24)

News24

Bandile Shabalala died after being left inside a cold storage unit overnight. (Supplied)

Supplied

Several community members told News24 that thieves are often locked inside the outlet's cold storage as punishment. They, however, are normally released after around 30 minutes, they said.

By late morning on Monday, public order police were outside the Shoprite in Ratanda, Heidelberg, maintaining peace, while officers gathered evidence from the scene.

EDITOR'S NOTE: News24 initially reported Bandile Shabalala as being 13 years old, relying on reports given to police by the community. However, it has since been established that he is 33 years old.