OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Saturday
WESTERN Cape police have refused to confirm reports that one of the men arrested in connection with an unexploded bomb found outside a busy restaurant in Bellville on Friday was out on bail after he was allegedly involved in a previous bomb attack.
They are also tight-lipped as to whether the pair – arrested following round the clock work by detectives during the past two months – were members of the Muslim vigilante group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad).
The bomb, which was found in a flowerpot outside the Keg and Swan in Bellville, was set to detonate at around noon, but was defused by members of the police’s bomb disposal unit.
The men could appear in court on Monday.
Political parties were unanimous in their praise of the police for their swift action, which probably saved a number of lives as the restaurant would have been full at the time the bomb was set to explode.
Western Cape Safety and Security MEC Hennie Bester said the find marked the first time that the police has been able to trace the scene of the intended explosion, find the device and defuse it.
Bester said the police success was not the result of a public tip-off or accidental find but the positive outcome of a dedicated intelligence-driven operation which clearly indicated that ”we are getting ahead of the game”.
African National Congress spokesman Cameron Dugmore said his party was deeply concerned at what appeared to be an attempt to revive the terror campaign.
Pagad, which has often been blamed for the Cape Town bomb spree, did not wish to comment on the incident. The organisation has denied any involvement in bombings in the Western Cape.