SPCA gets explosive donation

SPCA gets explosive donation

Members of the Bomb Squad were summoned to the Kloof SPCA on Wednesday after a grenade and two mortars were found in their donation box.

Insp Roland Fivaz, an investigator with the SPCA, said the explosives were found by a volunteer who had been emptying their donation boxes.

"The boxes are cleared every two days and when the items were found they didn't realise how dangerous it could be. It was handed to me in a box and I was told it contained ammunition. Only when I'd opened it did I realise what was inside the box," he said.

Fivaz, who has army experience, said he was unsure if the mortars or grenade were armed.

I then cordoned off the area and evacuated all the people from the volunteer offices. The police were alerted and called in," he said.

"Once in a while we do get people dropping off ammunition and I just get these sent to the local explosives guy. But this was something else."

Fivaz said they had no idea who had left the explosives in the donation box.

"It has been quite a day. The volunteers didn't even get a chance to react - I just cordoned off the area," he said.

Police spokesperson Capt Debbie O'Brien said when they arrived at the SPCA offices the area had already been cordoned off.

"There were a couple of spent cartridges and a training grenade - which had already been deactivated. The mortars were also deactivated," she said.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070412095924303C519506