As more countries issued a terror attack warning, organisers of some of the major events taking place in Sandton, Johannesburg, at the weekend say they are going ahead with their plans.
Businesses in Africa’s richest square mile on Thursday said they were talking to authorities around security measures in and around the area following an alert that the US government had issued to its employees at the US Consulate and citizens to avoid large crowds in Sandton following information it received.
The alert said “terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area”.
The other countries that issued warnings on Thursday are Australia, France, UK and Canada.
In its response, the South African government has been telling citizens not to panic as there was no evidence to ring the alarm bells.
People who work in Sandton and a reputation management expert said the alert had created uncertainty and that there was little trust in the South African government’s assurance that local authorities were prepared for any eventuality.
A security officer stationed at the Nelson Mandela Square said they will be working at the weekend.
“Our bosses told us to come to work. For now, we have been told to guard the mall. There is going to be a meeting tonight [yesterday] where we will be told what else we need to do to protect the mall.
“There are talks between our superiors and government that helicopters and drones should be deployed on Saturday to guard the mall. I am not worried because our security company has the manpower to protect the mall. We normally use drones and helicopters when there is a bomb scare,” said the guard.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticised the US, saying it jumped the gun by issuing the alert before speaking to local authorities.
“It’s unfortunate that the US government issued that type of warning without having had deep dive-type discussions with us,” said Ramaphosa.
A cleaner at Sandton City said she would take leave and only report for duty on Tuesday because she was scared. The mall has armed guards.
She added that previous security-threatening events, like the July unrest have taught her to be sceptical of government.
“I cannot come to work when there is this scary message. Our bosses have not said anything. There was looting last year and the government could not prevent it. What if they fail to protect us again?
"I will put in a sick note at work and stay at home. I will watch the news and see what happens,” said the cleaner.
Reputation management expert Janine Hill criticised government for a laid-back approach, adding that the US government had every right to warn its citizens.
“It does not help for government to tell us there’s no need to panic. It does not assure the public is safe. What is lacking on the government side is communication. Due to trust deficit following the July unrest and anxieties that South Africans live with daily, government needed to put everyone at ease and be forthcoming with information.
“They needed to engage and assure the public that SA National Defence Force is on standby, there is police surveillance and security checks. We don’t need complicated details because this is intelligence issue. Right now everybody is trusting the US and others regard this as a hoax, which is dangerous. The government Security Agency needs to look at various implications and think about possible scenarios.”
Old Mutual Theatre on The Square producer and owner Daphne Kuhn said the theatre was not cancelling any event.
The theatre at the Nelson Mandela Square has two sold-out performances of Beauty Queen of Leenane, an international show, on Saturday and a jazz show on Sunday.
“All these shows will go ahead. We are not taking this light, that is why we are beefing up our security systems. We would like to know where this information came from but at this point no one seems to know. The main thing is that we want to keep our patrons, artists and the staff working at theatre safe.”
Edikeni restaurant owner Lereko Ntshona said they had no show planned but they were monitoring the situation.
“We are going to take a decision tomorrow [Friday] on whether we will be trading or not. If security alert is heightened we won’t open at all. But in terms of safety, we are in a secured environment around corporate businesses.”
Joburg Pride organisers announced late yesterday that their 33rd Johannesburg Pride March and Pride of Africa Celebrations would go ahead following engagements with “private security of the Sandton precinct and the authorities”.
Owner of Ohm! Restro Bar in Rivonia, Olwethu Hoyana, said they would open.
“I have not seen anything around Sandton that could pose danger. In actual fact, we are situated 10km away from the US Consulate. Unfortunately we cannot afford to change operations unless there is a danger imposing threat.
“It is difficult to say if this is a hoax given the current politics around the world. There are a lot of conversations going around about SA’s stand in the Ukrainian war. You cannot completely rule out any idea that SA can be affected,” added Hoyana.
kokam@sowetan.co.za
bambalelep@sowetan.co.za
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