(Pretoria) South Africa on Thursday regretted the alert on a risk of attack in Johannesburg, issued the day before by the United States Embassy in Pretoria, judging it “unfortunate” because likely to create panic and n having been the subject of no prior discussion.
Updated yesterday at 4:48 p.m.
“It is quite unfortunate that the United States issues this kind of warning without having discussed it in the least with us,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a press conference in Pretoria.
The US Embassy in South Africa posted a notice on its website on Wednesday warning that its government had “received information that terrorists may be planning to carry out an attack targeting large gatherings in the perimeter around Sandton”, a wealthy suburb in north of central Johannesburg next Saturday.
“Any form of warning will come from the South African government and it is unfortunate for another government to issue such a threat, so as to create panic among our people,” Ramaphosa said, alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro. Sanchez visiting.
The government is “working around the clock to verify and look closely at this message that has come from the United States,” President Ramaphosa added.
Powder trail
In the morning, its Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said that the government was worried about the terrorist threat.
“We are very concerned about terrorism after the alert that the US Embassy informed us about, it is clear that our security organs are attentive to this issue,” she said in a statement.
The evening before, a few hours after the American alert which spread like wildfire on social networks and via Whatsapp groups in neighborhoods or schools in Johannesburg, the government explained laconically that she was registering simply in “the usual communication of the American government to its citizens”.
“Threats are continuously assessed and measures are taken to keep everyone safe. If necessary, the South African government will be the first to inform the public of any imminent threat, ”reassured the government statement.
“We are working hard to ensure the safety of our nation and its people,” he insisted.
Asked in Washington about Mr Ramaphosa’s criticism, a US State Department spokesperson did not respond directly, but said the US believed it was essential to issue alerts “in real time “.
“We take seriously our commitment to provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions,” the spokesperson said.
No attack has mourned South Africa in recent years.
The News 24 online news site, citing several unnamed police sources, said the target on Saturday may have been a planned gay parade in the Sandton neighborhood or a performance by a Jewish comedian.
More than a thousand South African soldiers have been fighting since July 2021 in neighboring Mozambique, to help the army struggling with armed jihadist groups which have been sowing terror for five years, having left 4,300 dead and a million displaced.
On Monday, several embassies of Western countries including that of the United States, had advised their citizens to limit their travels to Nigeria due to an increased threat of terrorist attacks.