President Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday a warning by the US embassy of a possible weekend "terrorist" attack in the country's financial hub in Johannesburg was "unfortunate".
"It is quite unfortunate the US issued that type of warning without having any type of discussion with us," he said, during a press conference.
"Any form of alert will come from the government of the Republic of South Africa and it is unfortunate that another government should issue such a threat as to send panic amongst our people," said Ramaphosa.
He said Pretoria was "working around the clock to verify and to look very closely at this message that came from the United States".
Ramaphosa was answering a question during a joint press conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
On Wednesday, IOL reported that an alert had been issued of a possible terror attack in Sandton.
The embassy said it had received information that terrorists may be planning to conduct an attack targeting large gatherings of people at an unspecified location in the greater Sandton area of Johannesburg, South Africa, on 29 October 2022.
The Embassy added that it had no further information about the timing, method or target of the potential attack.
"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," the Embassy stated.
While a number of local government departments declined to comment, the Presidency said the alert 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,” the Presidency said in a statement.
It added that threats were assessed continuously and acted upon to ensure the safety of all. Should the need arise, the South African government would be the first to inform the public about any imminent threat.
Speaking to the SABC, Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said government had no evidence to support claims of the alleged planned terrorist attack.
"I've checked with my security teams and I want to say upfront that we are disturbed because they say this alarm has been going on but up to this point it has not been vetted," he said.
Gungubele said teams had been following up to provide evidence but this had not materialised.
Sandton is commonly referred to as the richest square mile on the African continent -- a collection of high-end shops and lofty office blocks and banks.
Additional reporting by Se-Anne Rall
AFP