An explosion occurred at Denel's Swartklip ammunition factory near Cape Town at 10am on Wednesday, the armsmaker said in a statement.

One employee was injured.

The blast occurred in a store for power cartridges and primer cases during the morning tea break.

The injured employee, a supervisor, was the only person in the room. He was taken to hospital and the rest of the staff were treated for shock. His name will be made known when his next-of-kin have been informed.

The cause of the explosion was not known and would be investigated, Denel said.

The company has closed the ammunition plant pending the results of a preliminary investigation.

Court evacuated after bomb scare

The Durban Magistrates Court was evacuated following a bomb scare, Superintendent Vish Naidoo said on Wednesday.

Naidoo said police received an anonymous call claiming that a bomb had been planted in the court building.

He said police from bomb disposal unit and dog unit searched the building. The dogs led the police to a small box.

Naidoo confirmed that police detonated the box in a controlled explosion.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and www.iafrica.co.za