Uitenhage dam monitored after live bombs found

The Strelitzia Dam in Uitenhage is being monitored after three live mortar bombs — believed to have been dumped in the dam years ago — were found on Friday.

Police and municipal officials, who fear that more explosives could be buried under the mud in the dam, have warned anyone who might find more to immediately contact the authorities.

Pending a meeting on how to proceed later this week, the police, municipal security and metro police will be doing regular site checks at the dam, which has not been cordoned off.

Police spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart said that a preliminary search by members of the Port Elizabeth Explosives Unit failed to uncover any further mortars in the dam.

“The water level is constantly dropping and, based on this, more might be found as the level drops further,” she said.

“The K9 unit has not been able to assist as  yet and police divers were unavailable to assist.

“We are consulting with the municipality to find a way forward.

“It is an open dam where access can be gained from all sides.

“While the area has not been cordoned off, police are stopping there during their patrols.” 

Two fishermen found  two of the mortars at about 10am on Friday and carried them back to Kamesh township, where someone alerted the police after realising that they were explosives.

“It was later discovered that these mortars were in fact still live and could have detonated,” Swart said.

“The police bomb disposal unit from Port Elizabeth was informed and the mortars were deactivated.”

The third mortar was found in the dam at 3pm on Saturday by another fisherman.

“The man also unknowingly handled it.

“Fortunately, he notified the police.”

Swart said that the mortars, none of them believed to be of SA origin, were exposed by the low dam levels.

“By mishandling, these mortars can detonate and may have fatal consequences.”

Solly Solomon, the owner of explosives training company Knights Training Solutions, said the dumping of old explosives in rivers and dams had been happening for years in SA.

“It is not uncommon to find all sorts of illegal items in our rivers and dams.

“What usually happens is someone has it, in this case old mortars, and then for some reason feels that they need to dispose of it.

“The safest place, without getting into trouble or being caught, is a dam or river.

“It worked as it lay undetected in the dam for several years, from what I can tell,” he said.

“The issue, however, is that years of being exposed to the elements of the earth leads to the safety mechanism of the explosive becoming unstable.

“This means that if it is handled it could detonate.

“The general rule of thumb is that the older the explosive gets, the more volatile it is.”

Solomon, a former police bomb unit member, said weapon stockpiles and other explosives  hidden in some African countries had exploded in similar instances.

“Mortars have never really been the weapon of choice in SA, so how they came here is a mystery.

“The fact that they are not made in SA means that they were  likely smuggled across the  border years ago, likely from any of our neighbouring countries.

“One might find that someone initially had a few and, for whatever reason, wanted to get rid of them.”

Solomon said that in Mozambique, old mortars and other explosives were still being found.

“There are often cases where people find an explosive, do not realise what it is and then take it to a scrap dealer to try sell it off. It is extremely dangerous.”

Municipal spokesperson Kupido Baron said the dam area was simply too large to cordon off.

“The area is an active crime scene, under the authority of police, with our safety and security teams assisting to maintain a perimeter around the area.  

“This is done in the interest of public safety.”