Minister in the presidency, Mondli Gungubele has downplayed threats of a terrorism attack scheduled for Sandton, Johannesburg this weekend.
“I have checked this with my security unit and I will be saying up front we are a bit disturbed. This alarm has been going on but up to this point it is not backed up by any evidence,” Gungubele told SABC News.
"Our teams have been following the matter for them to give evidence and they have not been able to do that," he added.
Gungubele’s office oversees state security, which reports directly to the president after the scrapping of the intelligence ministry last August.
The US embassy issued the communique of the threat on Wednesday afternoon.
In a communique issued on its website, the embassy said: “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 October 29 2022.
“There is no further information regarding the timing, method or target of the potential attack. The US embassy has advised staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area during the weekend of October 29-30 2022.”
TimesLIVE will update this story once further information is received.
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No evidence of Sandton terrorism threat, says SA government
Image: Thapelo Morebudi
Minister in the presidency, Mondli Gungubele has downplayed threats of a terrorism attack scheduled for Sandton, Johannesburg this weekend.
“I have checked this with my security unit and I will be saying up front we are a bit disturbed. This alarm has been going on but up to this point it is not backed up by any evidence,” Gungubele told SABC News.
"Our teams have been following the matter for them to give evidence and they have not been able to do that," he added.
Gungubele’s office oversees state security, which reports directly to the president after the scrapping of the intelligence ministry last August.
The US embassy issued the communique of the threat on Wednesday afternoon.
In a communique issued on its website, the embassy said: “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 October 29 2022.
“There is no further information regarding the timing, method or target of the potential attack. The US embassy has advised staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area during the weekend of October 29-30 2022.”
TimesLIVE will update this story once further information is received.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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