Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, has criticised the US for not consulting local authorities about a terror threat sent by the American Embassy.
Sandton, one of South Africa’s wealthiest suburbs, may be the target of an attack this weekend, the embassy warned on Wednesday. It advised its staff to stay away from large crowds and other public gatherings. In line with the US announcement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK issued a travel advisory.
According to reporst, Ramaphosa said Thursday at a conference in the capital, Pretoria, “It was extremely disappointing that the US government issued that type of warning without having had a deep-dive type of dialogue with us.”
“It is unfortunate that another government should issue such a threat as to send panic among our people.” The authorities are working to verify the threat, and the government will issue an alert if needs be, he said. US mission spokesman David Feldmann declined to comment further when contacted by phone.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SA PRESIDENCY:
The South African government has noted the terror alert issued by the US Embassy on its website. This is part of the US government’s standard communication to its citizens. It is the responsibility of the South African security forces to ensure that all people within our country feel safe. Law enforcement agencies continue to monitor for any threats to our citizens, our nation and our sovereignty. Threats are assessed continuously and are acted upon to ensure the safety of all. Should the need arise; the South African government will be the first to inform the public about any imminent threat.
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