Jimmy Roodt cautions that first-tier bomb safety at G20 sites and malls is fatally weak, putting lives at risk.
Explosives and bomb safety expert Jimmy Roodt is warning that bomb safety threats extend beyond South Africa’s major airports.
He said that G20 venues could be dangerously unprepared for bomb threats, as are many shopping malls and convention, or conferencing facilities.
First-tier safety systems broken
There are hundreds of bomb threats that occur every year, said Roodt.
“What if one turns out to be real. Few facilities in the country are prepared. And with the escalation of global terrorism, it’s no longer a nice to have measure, but a necessity to be bomb-safe.”
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He said that in his assessment South Africa’s preparedness was “fatally unbalanced”, built on a two-tier safety system and the most important layer had collapsed.
“The first tier of bomb threat mitigation lies with facility managers, employers, private security, and outsourced safety providers,” Roodt said.
“They are responsible for risk assessments, evacuation protocols and properly trained staff. But this system is broken.”
Fire codes not enough
While Roodt was outspoken about airport bomb safety and the latter operating under fire safety codes, the same applies to other venues.
“These facilities are using SANS 10400 fire codes to manage blast risks,” he said.
“It’s reckless. It’s like using a first-aid kit to treat a gunshot wound.” It’s “catastrophic non-compliance with international standards”.
“Evacuation routes and assembly points are in the direct line of shrapnel and secondary explosions,” he said.
“In a detonation, fatalities would occur because of bad planning. And it’s not just at our major airports.”
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Lack of responses raises concern
The Citizen called Nasrec, one of the G20 venues.
Most calls went unanswered but when the journalist did get a response, the individual said there was no spokesperson for the property bar an event manager for the conference centre.
The latter did not reply to messages.
The Citizen also posed the question of bomb safety to major Gauteng regional shopping malls.
Again, nobody responded, nor acknowledged questions sent via WhatsApp.
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Second-tier systems rely on first-tier effectiveness
Roodt praised SA’s second-tier safety structures, including the SA Police Service Explosives Unit, intelligence agencies and the department of international relations and cooperation for their expertise and readiness for the G20.
But their effectiveness depended on the first tier doing its job.
“The police can only handle confirmed explosive devices, which make up about 5% of incidents,” he said.
“Without proper first-tier systems, even the best second-tier response will fail.”
Roodt warned that unless urgent measures were put in place by first-tier role players, the G20 events may face major risk.
“There’s still time to act, but only if strong leadership steps up now to implement primary bomb mitigation measures.”
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