SA companies get 9/11 warning
2010-09-10 19:18
Cape Town – A global risk management company has issued a world wide security alert to multinational companies, including those operating in South Africa, with tensions rising ahead of the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York.
Pasco Risk Management's Dr Mark Welman said multinational companies in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria were considered particularly vulnerable as there were more of them clustered in these locations.
"In the past we have seen that telephonic threats and false alarms tend to be focused on these areas," he told News24.
The company said the tension had been heightened by the Qu'ran-burning threat made by Florida pastor Terry Jones.
"Irrespective of whether Jones proceeds with his threats, the intense worldwide media focus on the issue has heightened sectarian tensions and raised the threat that extremists on both sides of the religious spectrum could seek to exploit the situation," it said.
It advised its clients to "take appropriate precautionary measures, including raising employee awareness levels and stepping up protective intelligence monitoring".
It is still unclear whether the planned burning of Qu'rans by Jones's church will be suspended indefinitely or not. He has promised not to burn the holy books if he meets with Imam Muhammad Musri, the president of the Islamic Society of Central Florida.
Low risk
Jones said the plan - which has sparked condemnation from the Muslim community worldwide, the Obama administration and the Vatican among others - was a protest against the planned construction of an Islamic centre a few blocks away from the site of the World Trade Centre.
Welman said despite this, the company had assessed the risk level to be "low" for multinational companies based in South Africa.
"At this point we rate it (risk level) as low. But if this (Qu'ran-burning debacle) is not resolved, the risk could be pushed to a slightly higher level."
He said the scale of risk used by the company ranged from low, moderate, high and extremely high.
During the recent Soccer World Cup the company had assessed security risk levels for their clients in South Africa as "moderate".
The company's clients include mining companies, financial houses and investment banks.