Aron Mushaukwa
Katima Mulilo
The police in the Zambezi Region detonated 10 unexploded mortar bombs and grenades of South African origin at Daily Compound in Katima Mulilo yesterday.
The explosives were among 30 explosives discovered by workers clearing a piece of land belonging to Sibbinda Constituency Councillor Ignatius Chunga close to Daily Compound in the Liselo area.
According to one of the workers at the site, Almeida Siendi, the explosives were discovered last week by workers who were de-bushing the area and they immediately reported the find to the police.
“When we were busy digging we suddenly hit something. At first we thought that maybe they were bottles but it was only after we checked that we noticed they were explosives. We informed our supervisor immediately who then alerted the police,” he said.
Speaking to the media before the explosives were destroyed, the Zambezi Police Commissioner Karel Theron called on members of the public to always inform the police when they discover unexploded ordnance.
“You should not even touch them, just report it to the police, because the danger is that some of these explosives can explode in your hands. We have experts who will determine whether they are dangerous or not,” he stated.
“Some of the items … they are not dangerous, they are just aluminium which were used for training purposes,” he said.
Theron also revealed that the police have discovered that some community members, when they find the aluminium materiel, take them to scrap metal dealers to sell.
“We would like to request community members not to touch and remove it, and scrap metal dealers not to accept it, but report it to the police. We are there for your safety, and if you remove these things on your own you can lose your life,” advised Theron.