Man held over bomb threat

2010-09-11 21:11

Charmaine Zulu and Eric Mashaba

Barberton - A man is spending the weekend behind bars after a bomb threat on Thursday.

The 21-year-old man, a former Pick n Pay employee, was arrested after he allegedly told staff that the Jock of the Bushveld shopping complex would be blown up.

He appeared in the Barberton Magistrate's Court on Friday. He was not asked to plead and was remanded in police custody until his next court appearance on Wednesday. 

Barberton police spokesperson Jabu Ndubane said the store manager called them at about 08:00 on Thursday and told them about the threat.

“We immediately called the bomb squad from Nelspruit and the K9 unit from White River, and our police members went to the scene to evacuate the centre, but no bomb was found,” said Ndubane.

The suspect, who had been fired from Pick n Pay earlier this year, apparently confronted the store manager about UIF that had not been deducted from his salary while he worked there.

"After a misunderstanding between him and the manager, a fight broke out. He then walked out and told employees that they would be blown to pieces if they remained in the complex," Ndubane said.

She added that the court would make a decision about whether the suspect would be sent for psychiatric evaluation.

The management of Pick n Pay in Barberton refused to comment.

- African Eye