The surrounding streets from the corner of Long Street and Waterfront Drive were immediately cordoned off while Builders Trade Depot staff were escorted out of the building and told to wait a safe distance away across the street. After the evacuation, members of the Knysna Visible Patrol Unit and Tsitsikamma Dog Unit (K9) fine-combed the premises, but no trace of a bomb or any other suspicious parcel or item could be found.
Lllewellyn Walters, Massbuild Divisional CEO was only willing to give a brief response: "We can confirm that there was a bomb scare at Builders Trade Depot on August 28. The store was safely evacuated while police combed the premises. Nothing suspicious was found and the store resumed trading at around 15:00 that day. The police are conducting a further investigation to try and trace the source of the call and the identity of the caller."
No other information was made available. Information such as the exact words the caller used, whether it was the same caller who called twice, the language the caller spoke or whether the caller had asked to speak to anyone in particular would not be disclosed as Massbuild feared it might compromise the investigation.
No arrests have been made yet, but the investigation is said to continue.
Builders Trade Depot manager, Steven Belgrove (front left) in conversation with the police's crime scene manager. With them are (back, from left) Graeme Harding of the NSRI, Declan Nurse of Allsound Security and Richard Meyer of Knysna Municipality. (Photo: Elle Photography.)
