UK, France, Canada and Australia embassies issue alerts after terrorism warning in South Africa
While the South African government has moved to downplay threats of a possible terrorist attack in the country, the embassies of the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia are following the advice from the United States and warning their citizens to steer clear of crowds in Sandton this weekend.
The alerts follow warnings from the US embassy on Wednesday (26 October) that terrorist attacks might take place in Sandton this coming weekend.
The UK embassy warned its citizens to steer clear of the greater Sandton area on 29 and 30 October, while the Australian embassy has South Africa at a level 2 travel warning, cautioning travellers to be aware of heightened levels of violent crime.
The UK’s travel guidance for South Africa noted that “terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in South Africa”. It warned that attacks could be indiscriminate and could occur in places visited by foreigners, such as shopping areas.
As with the UK and Australia, the High Commission of Canada in South Africa and the French embassy in the country followed suit with their own security update on the situation, citing the US embassy alert.
The US embassy on Wednesday warned that it had received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack on large gatherings in the greater Sandton area over the coming weekend.
“The US government has received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg, South Africa, on 29 October,” the embassy said in the statement.
The embassy advised its staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the specified area over the coming weekend.
While the South African government has acknowledged the alert, it has downplayed the severity, saying that it is constantly monitoring threats. It said that it has been given no information that points to evidence of a credible threat.
The government said it would urgently inform South Africans of immediate threats should the need arise.
Citing unnamed sources within the intelligence community, News24 reported that potential targets for the terrorist attacks include gay pride events, a two-week theatre show staged by Jewish comedian Nik Rabinowitz, and peace talks between warring Ethiopian parties currently underway. Seven individuals aligned with the Islamic State (ISIS) have reportedly been identified.
Responding to the warning, Sandton City owner Liberty Two Degrees said that businesses in the area are on high alert and monitoring the situation. Businesses are currently operating as normal.
Who do we listen to?
Senior Training Coordinator at ENACT Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, Willem Els, told the SABC that the first thing we should do in a situation like this is not panic.
“We should be calm and analyse this whole situation in a calm manner,” he said.
Els said that it is not always the case that information can be verified, and sometimes the information that comes through is “few and far apart”.
“It does not mean that there will not be an attack – but in a situation like this, you have to deal with it in the same way you deal with a bomb scare,” he said.
“When there is a bomb scare, you don’t know if there is a bomb. So you take the necessary precautions, you take the people away (from the area) without panic, and if the bomb detonates, it mitigates the damage. If the bomb doesn’t detonate, then nothing is lost.”
He pointed out that in the history of South Africa, the country has only had one bomb scare that turned out to be positive. “But we still deal with each and every one as if there is a bomb.”
Els said it is difficult to know exactly which authority to trust for the latest and most accurate security information.
He said that in 2021 and over the last year, the country experienced that its intelligence services were not really up to the task, referring to the complete intelligence breakdown during the July 2021 riots and alleged insurrection.
“They did not really manage to gather all the information. That may not be the case here, but it is a possibility,” he said.
On the other hand, foreign missions have the mandate to take care of their citizenry. “We know that several foreign missions picked up on this – if we (South Africa) picked up on credible threats in other countries, we would follow the same route (of issuing alerts).
Els said that the country will have to see South African intelligence services engage with foreign services – “and we hope that they will all share information and make South Africa safer”.
Read: Sandton businesses on alert following terrorism warning
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