DURBAN, July 2018 (ANA) – An incendiary device found at a Woolworths store in Durban’s city centre was defused on Thursday morning after the store was evacuated and the surrounding area cordoned off, according to South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (better known as the Hawks).
Woolworths also confirmed the discovery of the latest device, saying it was “shocked by the recent incidents in KwaZulu-Natal”.
“We can confirm another incendiary device was found in our West Street store today. As a precautionary measure, we immediately evacuated the store in order to ensure the safety of our people and our customers,” said the retailer in a statement.
Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told African News Agency that employees at the Dr Pixley Kaseme Street (formerly West Street) store found the suspicious device and the authorities were alerted.
“There was a device and it was defused by our bomb disposal unit. There were no injuries reported. The device itself was found by workers and they contacted us as soon as possible. We had to take precautions like blocking off the area,” he said.
By Thursday afternoon, the area was “safe and back to normal”, he said.
The latest incident would be added to the Hawks’ on going investigation into a string of such incidents, he said.
Mulaudzi refused to answer comments on the composition of the latest device.
“That is an operational matter,” he said.
Durban residents have been left on edge over the past weeks as hoax calls have been intermingled with the discovery of actual incendiary devices.
The discoveries started on July 5, with one each found in Woolworths stores in Gateway Mall and Pavilion, just hours apart.
On July 7, another device was again found at Woolworths Gateway and another two were found beneath two separate vehicles a few minutes walk away from the Greyville Racecourse, where the annual Vodacom Durban July horse race was taking place.
According to police, who have repeatedly called for calm, the unsophisticated devices were not constructed to explode, but to catch alight.
On July 9, the Pavilion shopping centre was evacuated after what was thought to be an incendiary device was spotted. This was later revealed to be a clothing security tag. Later, a Spar supermarket in Wentworth reported a bomb threat. This incident did not appear to follow the same modus operandi as the others as it involved blackmail.
On July 12, bomb threats were phoned into Cornubia Mall near uMhlanga, Commercial City building in the Durban city centre and the Phoenix police station. All three areas were evacuated and searched for devices, with none found.
“This is not an easy investigation,” said Mulaudzi.
“There is a concerted effort from everyone concerned to make sure that we get the people responsible for this. The investigation is receiving our full attention.”
Woolworths said it was working closely with the police, the Hawks and its own internal investigators.
“Our customers will see more visible security measures within all our KZN stores and we appreciate their patience and understanding for any inconvenience caused by these additional measures.”
- African News Agency (ANA)
