Devices exploded inside closed Woolworths stores at 1am. Menlyn Park reopens, Preller Square stays closed.
Blast damage at Woolworths Menlyn. Picture: SAPS/X
Hours after an explosion at a Woolworths store at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, another blast was experienced at one of the retailer’s stores in Bloemfontein.
This means that explosives rocked two Woolworths branches – Pretoria’s Menlyn Park and Bloemfontein’s Preller Square – in separate overnight incidents this week, with the company heightening security nationwide as the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) investigates.
Another Woolworths store hit by explosion
In the early hours of Friday, explosive devices detonated inside the Preller Square branch in Bloemfontein, Free State. This happened 24 hours after the first incident at the Menlyn Park store in Pretoria on Thursday.
The Woolworths Menlyn Park store has since reopened, but the Preller Square branch remains closed while the investigation is underway.
Police in Tshwane launched an investigation on Thursday following the explosion at the mall on Atterbury Road.
South African Police Service (Saps) spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk said the store manager received a phone call from personnel stationed at the store about an explosion that happened inside the premises at about 1am.
Emergency services arrived immediately after receiving the call and cordoned off the area.
No one injured
“It is alleged that an unknown explosive device detonated on one of the store shelves. At the time of the incident, five packers were on duty inside the store,” Van Dyk said.
Fortunately, the explosions injured no one and only damaged food items and shelving inside the store.
The police registered a case of contravention of the Explosives Act, Act 26 of 1956, section 27(1)(c) for investigation.
Woolworths confirmed on Friday that neither incident caused any injuries.
Devices went off between 1am and 2am
The company said that in both instances, the devices were set off between 1am and 2am while the stores were closed.
“Some staff members have, understandably, been affected by the events, and Woolworths is providing all of the necessary support to our teams,” it said.
Woolworths said that in both instances, staff informed Saps immediately and conducted a thorough sweep of the areas to prevent further threats. The Hawks are investigating the explosions.
“At this stage, no further information on the nature of the devices or the motive behind these attacks is available,” the company said.
To support the authorities’ work, Woolworths has hired specialised forensic experts to boost security and intelligence. Woolworths stores nationwide have also stepped up their vigilance as a precaution.
National Forensic Task Team deployed
The Saps acting national commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, has deployed a National Forensic Task Team together with crime intelligence experts to investigate the explosions.
The police said on Friday that the investigation is currently at a very early stage and all possible motives are being explored by investigators.
“At this stage, it would be premature to classify the incidents as acts of terrorism,” Saps said.
“Saps remains alert and will continue to assess the situation as investigations unfold.”
The police said any additional security measures, including monitoring around affected or related premises, will be informed by ongoing investigations and threat assessments.
Woolworths doors will stay open – CEO
Woolworth’s incoming group CEO Sam Ngumeni said the company is taking every possible action to protect its staff and customers.
“An attack on our business is an attack on our values and the millions of people we serve. Our business has thrived for nearly a century because our people make the decision each day to show up and excel. That won’t change,” Ngumeni said.
He added that the Woolworths doors will stay open.
Meanwhile, explosives expert Jimmy Roodt said the damage at the Menlyn store suggested a low-order blast, not a substantial high-explosive detonation.
He warned that even small devices create panic and endanger workers, urging shopping centres to maintain bomb-threat response plans.
