By Joel Mandaza
Business ground to a standstill earlier today when legislators and officials at Parliament had raised alarm over an unattended metal box, which had a make-up kit inside.
As the Public Accounts committee wrapped up their session today, the Chairperson Tendai Biti tweeted about the incident, which saw the Parliament section of Kwame Nkrumah being cordoned off immediately.
“We have just finished a Public Accounts Committee at Parliament. Regrettably there is a bomb scare at same. There is a strange silver box left outside the pavement in Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.
“We pray for safety and peace. The right to life is sacrosanct #ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” wrote Biti.
There were moments of panic as the response by law enforcement agents signalled seriousness, the bomb disposal squad also attended to the scene.
They learnt that the ‘mysterious’ box was just a make-up box which had somehow found its way to the pavement just outside Parliament.
The owner who had many things in her hands, left it on the ground adjusting her grip on her belongings and forgot to pick up the box.
Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda told the media that it was a false alarm.
“Alert security details at the entrance saw the suspicious container that had been left unattended and immediately alerted us.
We quickly called in security agents who managed to ascertain that it was harmless while its owner who had forgotten it at the entrance was also identified,” Chokuda was quoted as saying.
The response by authorities today was standard procedure, cases have been recorded where terrorists leave explosives in public spaces.
