The Public Servants Association (PSA) has called for an investigation into a bomb scare that disrupted court proceedings on Tuesday.
Operations and hearings at the Durban magistrate's court came to a halt when sirens blared shortly after 10am, prompting staff to evacuate officials and the public from the building amid the threat of a bomb.
Prisoners were detained in the jail overseen by court orderlies.
While some of the employees panicked, others rubbished the threat as they spilt out onto the lawns while police arrived and cordoned off the entrance.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said the explosives and K9 units conducted a precautionary search.
“This is after an unknown person called the court and said there was a bomb which would go off at 10.30am.”
About two hours later, he said the search and sweeping were completed and no bomb was found. The building was then declared safe.
The bomb threat comes days after the PSA met with court management to express health and safety concerns about the 12-storey building which was condemned by the fire department in January 2023. Among the shortcomings was a non-functional water sprinkler system.
Despite this, the building, which is also being used to house high court trials because of maintenance under way at the Margaret Mncadi building, continues to operate.
Addressing a small group of members outside the building, KwaZulu-Natal PSA manager Mlungisi Ndlovu said the union raised several concerns with officials last week including fears that if the building caught alight lives could be lost because the sprinkler system does not work.
“When you receive a bomb threat there are clear processes which need to be followed, but employees were unclear about the process. There was no emergency assembly point and people were not sure what to do and were just walking around.
“Some of the members have hypertension and other medical conditions. The employer must provide counselling,” said Ndlovu.
He said the building could not be deemed to be safe in two hours and there should be a person designated to deal with bomb and other threats.
“We have 12 floors here. Are you telling me this [police sweep] will take two hours? It’s clear the management is not taking us seriously. We are going to hold the minister accountable for all the safety issues here,” he said.
He said they wanted police and court management to provide a comprehensive report on the bomb scare and other security protocols by midday on Wednesday, or they would picket on Thursday.
“We are here to deliver services not death certificates. If they [management] want to go back and work, they should do so,” said Ndlovu.
He also bemoaned the abysmal ablution facilities and the lack of functioning lifts for prisoners and the public.
Justice and constitutional development ministry spokesperson Tsekiso Machike confirmed the department was notified of the court's closure.
He said they understood the service points of the court were old.
“It's compromised. We are working on a project to renovate and upgrade the security features even though there was no bomb found,” he said.
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