Bomb disposal unit find nothing at Clearwater Mall after threat

The bomb disposal unit and dog unit have been sweeping Clearwater Mall on Johannesburg's West Rand following a bomb threat, Gauteng police said.

"After the evacuation the police bomb disposal unit and dog unit went in," Major Mack Mngomezulu said.

"They looked around and so far nothing has been found."

He said shop managers had been allowed back into the building. They would be followed by staff members and then customers would be allowed back in.

The Roodepoort mall's marketing manager Cecile Braun said someone made a bomb threat during a phone call.

"We... received a phone call and followed procedure by evacuating and calling the police," she said.

The man had phoned claiming he would detonate four bombs if he wasn't paid R100,000, police spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubela said.

Mall management received the call at 9.20am.

"He told them that they had ten minutes to pay, or he would start detonating the bombs, " said Makhubela.

Employees in the mall said they began evacuating at just after ten. Thereafter police with sniffer dogs swept the building, as ambulances gathered outside. At midday police began allowing management employees back into the mall.