Ministers meet to discuss US terror alert: Zuma
Government ministers in the security cluster would meet on Wednesday to discuss the terror alert the United States issued on South Africa at the weekend and continue to engage Washington on the issue, President Jacob Zuma’s office said.
“The security cluster is scheduled to meet today to discuss the matter further, with a view to ensuring the continued safety of all in the country,” the presidency said.
“In addition, the South African government will continue to discuss the matter with the United States government as part of on-going cooperation on security issues between the two countries.”
The presidency added: “South Africa and the United States continue to enjoy strong and cordial relations in various areas of cooperation including political, economic, social and security matters.”
The US embassy in Pretoria on Saturday issued a warning that there was a risk of “near-term” attacks by terrorist groups on upscale shopping malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
The warning prompted a diplomatic spat between US ambassador Patrick Gaspard and the spokesman for the South African international relations ministry, Clayson Monyela, who suggested on Twitter that US authorities were sowing “panic”.
Earlier on Wednesday, the ministry issued a statement saying the warning was found that have been based on information from a discredited source.
“The information provided as a basis for the latest terror alerts on South Africa has been found to be very sketchy. On closer examination, we have found the information to be dubious, unsubstantiated and provided by a ‘walk-in’ source based on questionable conclusions,” it said. - ANA