SA not a terror target - Pta

2004-08-05 07:20

Pretoria - Reports of South Africa having been identified as a terrorist target were untrue, the government said on Wednesday.

Government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe rejected media reports that two South Africans being held in Pakistan on suspicion of terrorist activities had told interrogators of plans to attack installations in their home country.

"There is no truth in that," he told reporters in a post-cabinet meeting briefing.

"Formally from the Pakistani authorities themselves communicating with our security agencies, as well as other methods of checking, it has been confirmed that story is not true."

Had such information existed, the South African security agencies would have been the first to know, Netshitenzhe added.

'No need to panic'

National Intelligence Agency director-general Vusi Mavimbela said there was no information that any particular installation in South Africa was being targeted, either by terrorist group al-Qaeda or any other international organisation.

"There is no basis to come to the conclusion that people need to panic," he said.

Asked if the public would be informed of a terrorist threat, Netshitenzhe said there might be instances in which such information would not be communicated.

According to police crime intelligence head Rayman Lalla, any threat to an institution "under normal circumstances" would see a beefing up of force levels, without necessarily announcing the threat.

The panel declined to go into detail such as whether the two detainees had been under surveillance, describing these as operational matters.

Asked if there was a terrorist presence in South Africa, Mavimbela stressed that no country in the world could claim to be immune to the scourge.

Two

He had no information on such a presence, but said that even if one existed this did not mean that South Africa was necessarily the target.

Two using SA passports held in US

Netshitenzhe said efforts were underway to determine the nationalities of two other people being held in the United States, apparently also on terrorist charges. The two were reportedly travelling on South African passports.

A cabinet statement criticised media reporting on the alleged threats, with Netshitenzhe underlining the possible consequences for the economy and the quality of life of citizens.

"The government wishes to express its outrage at the manner in which these matters have been aired, without any credible substantiation," the statement said.

"We call on the media to exercise restraint in dealing with these matters, by ensuring that reports on these issues are based on fact, and do not lead to unwarranted alarm among the public."

The government also reiterated its principled rejection of terrorism and its commitment to work with international agencies and other states in its eradication.

"We also wish to call on South Africans to avoid involvement with individuals or groups engaged in any form of criminal activity."

Consular access

Meanwhile, the government was battling to gain consular access to the two having been held in Pakistan since July 25.

South African officials had spoken to the Pakistani high commission in Pretoria and to the Pakistani foreign ministry about the matter. Both undertook to render assistance in enabling consular visits to the men, "but this has not happened," said foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa.

The reason being given was that authorities were still debriefing the men, he added.

The two are Feroze Ganchi, a doctor from Fordsburg, Johannesburg, and 20-year-old student Zubair Ismael from Laudium in Pretoria. Ganchi is apparently also known as Abu Bakar.

They were among about a dozen people detained after a 12-hour shoot-out with security forces at a house in Gujrat, southeast of Islamabad, on July 25.

Tanzanian al-Qaeda suspect, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, was reportedly among those arrested. He is wanted by the United States for the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The Pakistani high commission in Pretoria referred enquiries to its first secretary, who could not be reached.

- SAPA