Pupils and staff at Palmview Primary School had to be evacuated after an unidentified caller, who spoke to admin staff, made two bomb threats earlier today.
Prem Balram, the head of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said he dispatched a team to the school just after noon.
"Officers and paramedics arrived at the premises and met with police officers from the Phoenix police station. According to a school employee, two calls were received minutes apart from a man who told them that an explosive device was placed on the premises. Police, together with security personnel and teachers immediately evacuated pupils to the assembly area,” said Balram.
Members of the SAPS Explosives Unit arrived shortly thereafter and conducted an extensive search of the premises. No explosives were located.
A parent, who took to social media to express his concern shortly after the evacuation, said: “Imagine getting a call from someone saying ‘there’s a bomb on the school premises.’ I mean any normal person would react with fear.
“It seems as if two calls were made to the school earlier today claiming there’s a bomb on the school premises. Out of fear, the school was closed and pupils were sent home immediately.
"A search was carried out by professionals and no explosives or bomb was found, so in my opinion, the chances are the two calls that were made to the school were made by people who are related to each other, who know each other or perhaps it was the exact same person pretending to be someone different.
“It would be nice to track those callers and find out exactly what prompted their call. Because in the day and age where pranks are seen as popular, anything is possible,” he said.
The police did not comment at the time of publication.