A live grenade was found in Bulawayo’s Montrose Suburb Monday morning by a resident who was cultivating his field, CITE can reveal.
Luckily for the Montrose resident, the grenade did not explode when he picked it up to inspect what it was.
Police have confirmed the incident and said a bomb disposal unit was immediately dispatched when the incident was reported.
In an interview with CITE, Bulawayo Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube said when the man found the grenade, he picked it up and put it on the edge of his field.
“The grenade was found in a bush, along Corner Dundee and Ullswater Road in Montrose. This person was cultivating his field when he discovered the grenade. The man then lifted it from the ground and placed it on the edge of his field,” he said.
Inspector Ncube said the incident was reported to police who guard ZBC’s Montrose studios.
“The man went to Montrose Studios to report because he knew there would be police officers. The bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene and detonated it,” he noted.
It seemed the grenade was dropped years ago, but Inspector Ncube could not specify the exact time.
The bomb disposal unit also scouted the area for other possible sightings.
“Members of the bomb disposal unit are professionals and they know what to do in such a situation. The grenade might have been left some time ago as its age is not known,” said the police spokesperson.
Inspector Ncube also urged members of the public including children not to pick up suspicious objects, as these could be dangerous.
“Rather leave the object where it is and report to the police so it can be attended to professionally. Some of these objects like in this case can turn out to be dangerous,” he said.
“It is common that in most of the instances and in some of the areas where explosive objects have been found, people may pick them up while children play around with them, trying to crush or open it. We have lost lives sometimes through such negligence.”
