Bloemfontein – A shopping centre in Bloemfontein was evacuated on Thursday morning following an alleged bomb threat, it was reported.

There were also reports that it was a hostage situation but this could not be verified.

Free State police spokesperson Captain Chaka Marope told News24 that an anonymous caller to the Southern Centre in Bloemfontein, more commonly known as the Pick n Pay Centre, said there was a bomb inside the building.

The management of the centre alerted the police, and various police units and the fire brigade were dispatched to the building which had been evacuated.

“At the end, nothing has happened, but we are monitoring the situation,” he said.

The building is still being swept and people have not been allowed back in, he added.
This is a developing story.

– News24