(Photo: Elisma van der Watt/ Maroela Media)
Lt. Gen. Acting Police Commissioner Puleng Dimpane deployed a national forensic task team together with crime intelligence experts to investigate the two explosion incidents that took place this week at Woolworths stores in Pretoria and Bloemfontein.
The same modus operandi was apparently followed in both cases that took place in the food section of the stores.
Brig. Athlenda Mathe, national spokesperson for the police, says the investigations are currently at an early stage and all possible motives are being investigated by investigating officers.
She says at this stage it would be premature to classify the incidents as acts of terrorism.
“Police remain vigilant and will continue to assess the situation as investigations progress. Any additional security measures, including monitoring around affected or related premises, will be informed of ongoing investigations and threat assessments.”
Mathe appealed to the public to remain calm and asked to give investigating officers the space to do their work.
The Falcons in Bloemfontein are investigating after an explosion in the early hours of Friday morning in the Woolworths store in Prellerplein. (Photo: Provided)
Maroela Media earlier reported that the retail giant is stepping up vigilance at all its stores nationwide as a precautionary measure, after two explosion incidents took place within about 24 hours at two different Woolworths stores.
The first explosion was reported on Thursday morning at a Woolworths store in Menlyn Mall in Pretoria. Five members of staff were in the store at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.
The police in Pretoria have started an investigation, after an explosion took place in the early hours of Thursday morning in the Woolworths store in Menlyn Mall. (Photo: Provided)
The second incident in the Woolworths store in Prellerplein, Bloemfontein, was reported in the early morning hours of Friday.
According to preliminary information, the store manager of the Bloemfontein branch received a call at 03:00 from a security company informing him about the explosion in the store.
The explosive device was apparently hidden between food shelves.
Sam Ngumeni, incoming chief executive officer of Woolworths, says at this stage no further information is known about the nature of the devices or the motive behind these incidents, but is doing everything in its power to protect customers.