SA 'too reactive'

2005-08-04 10:28

Johannesburg - The recent bomb blasts in the popular tourist city of London has forced countries around the world to examine their own ability to prevent similar attacks.

Institute for Security Studies analyst Anneli Botha said a distinction had to be made between domestic and international terrorism.

The arrests in recent years of members of People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) and the Boeremag after they were implicated in a spate of bombings showed that South African security authorities were effective in making arrests over domestic terrorism.

But she believes the government is too reactive when dealing with such threats.

"I don't think the government sat down and thought, 'what really happened there?' and many of these groups' issues remain unaddressed.

"There was a recent call in Cape Town for Pagad to reform," Botha said.

"There is concern over the use of (the drug) tik and they still have socio-economic problems."

Pieter Groenewald, spokesperson for the Freedom Front Plus, said many Afrikaners believed the government was not fulfilling its constitutional obligation to protect them.

Affirmative action, rural safety and the erosion of language rights were of great concern, as were calls at a recent land summit for the scrapping of the "willing buyer, willing seller" policy.

"If there is expropriation of land, there will be conflict," said Groenewald.

However, a clarifying statement from a high ranking government official was often all that was needed to defuse tension, he added.

Recently the country was surprised by a spate of protests against poor service delivery but, according to Botha, being able to voice concern and protest against the government was positive.

"It is when this avenue is closed or extensively countered that one might become concerned since a link exists between the suppression of legitimate dissent and terrorism."

Although South African authorities had been effective in dealing with threats to domestic security, international terrorism was "a different ballgame", with over 12 000 attacks recorded last year in countries from Algeria to Iraq.

Extremely clever people

Botha continues: "You are working with extremely clever people who don't want to be detected. They build up a cover for themselves with a different identity and keep their views to themselves. They work as individuals."

Colleague Richard Cornwall adds that the large immigrant population, identity document fraud and the country's excellent communications South Africa a good place to network.

Zambia has just agreed to the extradition to Britain of a man wanted in connection with the London blasts. He reportedly sold CDs at a flea market in Johannesburg's Fordsburg.

South Africa has already allowed the extradition to the US of a man implicated in blasts at the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and another request is being considered for a man allegedly linked to Al Qaeda.

Botha said that South Africans could feel a sense of immunity from terror attacks because of the country's liberal foreign policy towards the Middle East.

"But," she cautions, "London also believed they might be spared."

South Africa's police say that in addition to working with other government departments to prevent terrorism, they co-operate with the UN's Counter Terrorism Committee, and Commissioner Jackie Selebi was president of Interpol, where information was regularly shared among member countries.

The Airports Company SA said it worked with security agencies in line with international and national aviation safety guidelines.

Johannesburg International Airport was currently being strengthened, with the arrival of a group of airport-trained police officers and constant police patrols, private security companies and a network of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

The ubiquitous CCTV which played a large part in the London blast investigation, has been credited with dropping crime levels in central Johannesburg by 80%.

'Nobody can pick out a suicide bomber'

But Neville Huxham of Johannesburg's Cueincident said: "Nobody can pick out a suicide bomber."

So, how does South Africa protect itself from attacks or, in the words of Cornwall, from its citizens becoming "collateral" in the pursuit of other targets?

Botha believes that breaking down barriers and addressing the underlying causes of the attacks was part of the solution.

"South Africa needs to be far more proactive - we are far too reactive." Communities should have their ears to the ground, and countries should share information more. There was also a need for communication and to break down barriers created between communities after the attacks on New York and Washington known as 9/11.

"If we can break down the barrier between 'us and them', it will be a huge breakthrough."

Part of the search for the perpetrators of attacks has been racial profiling.

Moulana Suleman Goga of the Council of Muslim Theologians said: "As Muslims in South Africa we do feel disturbed by the frequent, often baseless allegations made against Muslims. Generalisation against a community is not proper."

Goga said that Muslims were grateful to the South African government for the freedom of expression they enjoyed, but other governments and agencies were not happy about this and had pressured the government into laws which curtailed certain basic rights of citizens.

In the context of global "terrorism" this placed Muslims in South Africa in an awkward position.

He called on Western powers and their allies to stop bombing and invading Muslim countries.

Botha said that the media played an important role in the reporting of terror attacks.

Writing "15 to 20" words on an attack in Iraq but giving huge coverage to a western target needed to be addressed.

Another important tool was the observance of due process when arrests were made. In this regard, South Africa was "light years ahead of the US".

"If you don't play according to the rules you fuel terrorism."

- SAPA