Bomb scare in the wake of ANC celebrations

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An apparent bomb scare in the wake of the ANC anniversary celebrations in Kimberley has been received. President Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew from two ANC events in Kimberley on Friday, including a golf day at Magersfontein, while a military contingent has also been deployed to the city. The DFA received a direct message on its Facebook site on Thursday stating: “Get ready for some bombing in ANC today.” Attempts to obtain further details from the person who posted the message were met with the reply: “I cannot give more details.” Further messages to the sender were ignored. The SAPS was alerted to the message.

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, said on Thursday that measures had been put in place to deal with any eventuality. “The Facebook message was brought to our attention and we are looking at it,” he added.

According to Naidoo, stringent security measures had been put into place, not only at the stadium but also in the surrounding areas. “We have various security units, covering areas like route security, venue security and hotel security.”

He stated that a scanning process had been put into place at the Kimberley Anne Hotel where most of the ministers and dignatories were staying. “We have also taken all the precautions necessary to ensure that all VIPs, dignatories and those attending the celebrations are protected. We have also implemented road closures as part of the security processes, that will also assist in keeping out any criminal elements.”

Naidoo was reluctant to give details regarding the number of police deployed for security reasons but indicated that this number had also been augmented by Metro Police officials and and national traffic police.

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