Johannesburg - The day was October 26, 2022. The US Embassy published a short notice on its website, which would send South Africa into a frenzy just a couple of days before the hosting of a huge gay rights festival and the Soweto Derby football bonanza in southern Johannesburg.
The message on the US Embassy’s website read:
“The US Embassy has advised staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg during the weekend of 29-30 October 2022.
“There is no further information regarding the timing, method, or target of the potential attack,” the Embassy warned.
The Joburg Pride event held in Sandton and the Soweto Derby held in Nasrec, were some of the major events that were taking place in the Joburg area that weekend.
Both events eventually went ahead smoothly after the police gave organisers the green light.
#SandtonTerrorAttack #Sandton We are here standing our ground. #JhbPride pic.twitter.com/bvHVr1XM2f
— HRH Thabang Trodd (@TroddAwesome) October 29, 2022
Celebration #SandtonTerrorAttack in style #JHBPride2022 pic.twitter.com/rHhXJKXj75
— $tilesMbulaz (@STILESMbulazi) October 29, 2022
#SandtonTerrorAttack #JhbPride
— HRH Thabang Trodd (@TroddAwesome) October 30, 2022
Yesterday was nothing short of amazing. I had the best time. We were the bomb. pic.twitter.com/PN1qI0enqf
You'd swear there's no #SandtonTerrorAttack threat😅#CoronaSunsetsFestival pic.twitter.com/O5iSwUIHkc
— Abuti Tshiamo (@Motswiri_) October 29, 2022
In Sandton, it was a festival of colours as young people who are part of and who support the LGBTQIA+ community painted the streets of Sandton with rainbow flags and colours.
There were also live performances from the likes of MsParty, DJ Skye, Atlanta, King B, DJ Imme and Tamara Dey.
The South African Government had insisted they were clueless to the threats and told the public they had no knowledge of the threat.
The SA government said it noted the alert and said it was a “standard communication to its citizens”.
“We are working hard at keeping our nation and her people safe.
“We 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,” the SA government said in the statement.
Police Minister Bheki Cele, who was in Durban at the time to attend the certificate handover ceremony of King Misuzulu, told journalists there was simply no evidence to support the claims of a threat in Sandton, declaring law enforcement would be alert, but essentially, giving all major events the green light to proceed as planned.
“It is a responsibility of the police to protect the events. This weekend, we have four major events, and all are properly planned for and protected.
“We are ready for it. Even if there were no threats, we would have still prepared for it,” he told the SABC at the time.
Cele says despite reports of a possible terror attack in Sandton this weekend, they has been no evidence to support this claim. Cele says all events will be safe #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/dX76iVHfHk
— MaMthiyane (@skhangiwem) October 28, 2022
President Cyril Ramaphosa also sought to assure the country that government was fully in control of the safety and security of all people within the borders in the wake of a terror alert message issued by the US Embassy on its website.
“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,” said his spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
“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.”
The Union Buildings also dismissed the threats as “part of the US government’s standard communication to its citizens”.
But despite the government playing down the threats, a counter-terrorism expert, Jasmine Opperman, said the law enforcement and counter-terrorism machinery in South Africa lacked credibility.
At the time, she told news broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the presence of Islamic State in neighbouring Mozambique, the SADC region had become “far more vulnerable” to terrorism.
“First and foremost, there is a need for an understanding of the Southern Africa region that is far more vulnerable to terrorism. The Islamic State finally has a footprint in Mozambique.
“Then, in South Africa itself, we are sitting with an intelligence service, we are sitting with a law and order capacity that simply lacks the credibility from the people of South Africa, and how then would South Africa respond to this matter. It would then build levels of mistrust.
“To say that they have not received any information in this regard, point taken, but that does not mean there is no threat. When an alert is put on the table according to US protocols, we have seen this in the past – about 10 years back, creating hysteria.”