A terrorist expert says the country’s intelligence committees cannot afford to rest on their laurels despite an uneventful weekend.
Last week, the US embassy sent a terror alert to its citizens about an imminent attack in Sandton.
The alert caused a diplomatic impasse between the US and South Africa’s intelligence agencies, with President Cyril Ramaphosa accusing the American embassy of jumping the gun.
There was a heightened police presence at the Pride march, which was one of the high-profile events happening across the country.
The other events included the Soweto derby at the FNB Stadium and the coronation of the Zulu king at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Those events took place on the backdrop of a terror alert that was issued last week by the US embassy about an imminent attack on the country.
Terror expert, Jasmine Opperman, said that the terror alert did serve its purpose since there was no attack.
“It is good to see that the intelligence and security forces took the alert seriously. We always have to remember an alert is issued from an intelligence report and heightened security measures were implemented.”
Opperman said that the controversy around the terror alert had raised questions regarding South Africa’s vulnerability to terrorist acts.
“We cannot constantly rely on foreign governments warning us about imminent threats, our services need to be in a place to issue credible warnings to direct deployment.”
So far, South African authorities have not reported on any incidents taking place over the weekend.
-EWN
In other news – What you didn’t know about actress Sophie Ndaba’s husbands and divorces
Award-winning South African actress, model, and events planner, Sophie Ndaba rose to the limelight in the early 1990s and is best known for her role as Queen Moroka on Generations.
The actress is one of those people who believe that true love exists and despite having a failed marriage or two still gives love a chance. Here is everything you need to know about Sophie Ndaba’s husband, as well as all the details about her past marriages and divorces. Learn More
