Threat? What Threat? Be cool, says Mahlobo, as terror fears grow

State Security Minister David Mahlobo has recently been in the news responding to the destruction of schools in Vuwani, Limpopo, but has been more widely quoted on political matters – lashing out at Julius Malema’s rhetoric, hammering NGOs accused of destabilising the country at the behest of foreign powers, and justifying the probe by the Hawks into Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Given his focus on local politics, and those allegedly aiming to destabilise the country through internal machinations, it was, for some, perhaps hard to stomach Mahlobo’s playing down of threats of terrorist attacks on Monday.

“The South African government has noted the terror alert issued by the US embassy in Pretoria over the weekend which is part of the US government standard precautionary communication to its residents. The security services of the country have liaised with the Americans on the concerns they have and these engagements will continue as part of the ongoing work,” said a press release from Mahlobo’s department.

“We remain a strong and stable democratic country and there is no immediate danger posed by the alert,” said the minister. The security services would continue to ensure the safety of citizens through working on issues of violent extremism and terrorism.

Mahlobo was speaking after the US embassy issued a warning to its citizens over the weekend. In a brief note, the embassy on Saturday warned that its government “has received information that terrorist groups are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where US citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadaan.”

The memory of recent terrorist attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, as well in France and Belgium, and even the 2013 attack in Nairobi, lend a fear to the latest warning that such horrors could happen in South Africa. But the US’s warning isn’t unique, nor is it unprecedented.

Last September it also cautioned citizens of a potential threat in SA. It was one of dozens of cautions the US government issued last year, and in similar tones, Mahlobo cautioned against fear and said that while there was no imminent threat the county’s operatives were working with other agencies and could respond to any potential attack.

The latest caution from the US was dismissed by international relations spokesman Clayson Monyela as another false alarm, but both the British and Australian governments have repeated the claims.

“There is a high threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town. There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria. You should be vigilant at this time,” said a British note on travel advice to South Africa.

The Australians echoed the sentiments of their allies. “You are advised to be particularly vigilant in areas frequented by foreigners at this time. Australians in South Africa should consider this information when planning their activities and take appropriate steps to enhance their personal security,” said the Australian advice.

On Monday, the African security consultant company Signal Risk noted, “Despite the presumed activity of Islamist extremist groups in South Africa, there has yet to be an attack. This likely speaks to South Africa’s neutral foreign policy, which provides militant groups with little motivation to execute an attack in the country. Moreover, an attack by a terrorist organisation that may have established important financial and logistical operations in South Africa would likely result in punitive measures, thus compromising such activities.”

Signal Risk said the risk of a co-ordinated attack by an international extremist organisation in South Africa was low as the National Intelligence Agency works closely with its American and British counterparts to mitigate the chance of such attacks. The greater threat, it said, was from self-radicalised individuals who have no links to larger movements but claim to act on their behalf.

Looking at the September threat warning, Martin Ewi from the Institute of Security Studies last year noted reports of South Africans trying to join the Islamic State, as well as other terrorists shown to have temporarily used the country as a base, but said on the little information released by the US it was hard to judge whether the threats were credible. The SA government is capable of dealing with terrorist threats, he said, but could improve its vigilance and specialised counterterrorism units.

So far there’s little information on the basis of the latest terror warning from the US, and plenty of fear. Despite the apparent unlikelihood of an attack in SA, one hopes Mahlobo is pursuing the issue with the same vigour, or more, as he applies to dissident politicians and NGOs. DM

Photo: Waterfront, Cape Town (Eric Bauer via Flickr)

Read more:

• Terror warnings: Is South Africa really an Islamic State target? in Daily Maverick