Caller’s bomb threat at mall
STAFF and shoppers rushed out of the Clearwater Mall in Roodepoort yesterday after an unknown man phoned, saying he had placed four bombs in the management offices and other places.
The building was evacuated at about 9.20am, and SAPS Explosives Unit members and sniffer dogs went into the mall to search for the bombs.
Provincial spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubela said the man, who called from a landline phone, demanded a R100 000 ransom that he said should be paid within 10 minutes or the bombs would go off.
Makhubela said the Explosives Unit, aided by the dogs, had looked at management offices and all over the mall, but could not find anything.
Shopper Ria Russouw said she was walking out of Edgars when she heard a siren.
Shortly afterwards there was an announcement from someone, saying “You must leave the building immediately”.
Russouw said she tried to get to her car and leave the building as soon as she could.
But when she got to the car park, it had already been closed.
She walked out of the premises and waited outside as police searched the premises.
Dimpho Mashinini, a wait- ress at Wimpy, said she saw people hastily moving out of the mall. “At first we saw a commotion and we did not know what was happening. Then we heard management saying there is a bomb scare and we must get out of the building now.
“We raced out of the shop. There was no time to even wait for the customers to pay. The customers also ran out,” Mashinini said, adding that police and ambulances arrived at the mall soon thereafter.
Mashinini said she did not even have the opportunity to grab her handbag or clothes.
“If they can say we can’t go back into the building today, I will have to go home wearing my uniform. I will also be forced to hitch for lifts, because I don’t have any money on me,” she said.
Once she was safe, Mashinini took out her cellphone and recorded the commotion as it happened.
“I wanted to be able to show other people what happened to us at work today,” she said, looking at the footage.
Another person, who did not want to be named, said: “It was crazy. I was panicking. I ran as fast as I could. I did not want the bomb to explode while I was still inside the premises.”
Shortly after noon, the management was allowed to go back, but staff remained outside.
An ER24 paramedic said they treated one patient for lacerations. The person was injured during the commotion as people were trying to leave the premises, he said.
By 2pm, all the staff had been allowed back onto the premises to continue working.
When The Star contacted Clearwater management for a comment, a woman, who refused to be identified, said “everything is back to normal now”.