The customer claims that on Saturday, January 7, she finished her shopping at Woolies and the “bread moved” in her trolley and the rot scuttled out of the package.
She says the rat ran across the counter and back to the bread section of the shop.
Woolworths has put the blame on the shopping centre, claiming to IOL that Canal Walk is infested and that its pest control company Ecolab was already “trying to contain the situation” and that several other tenants were affected.
But the centre’s marketing manager Vanessa Herbst said this was the first they had heard of it.
“We have no knowledge of the situation. All procedures are in place. We do regular checks. Woolworths has notified us and we will investigate.”
Woolworths has indicated it would be getting rid of the rats themselves.