State Security Agency identifying potential terrorism risks in SA
Minister in the Presidency responsible for the SSA, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said international terrorists had in the past managed to enter the country using South African travel and identity documents, and also by exploiting the asylum process.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni at a Cabinet briefing in Parliament. GCIS/Elmond Jiyane
CAPE TOWN - The State Security Agency (SSA) says that South Africa's border integrity remains an ongoing concern as international terrorists have managed to travel in and out of the country in the past.
But the agency said it was prioritising investigations aimed at determining whether South Africa was being used as a logistical hub for terrorist organisations operating in the region.
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Minister in the Presidency responsible for the SSA, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has faced a barrage of written questions from MPs from both houses of Parliament on terrorism threats to the country.
The agency said while it alerted authorities about Libyan nationals being training at a military training in Mpumalanga in July, it could not be proven they were here for reasons other than training as security guards.
Ntshavheni said international terrorists had in the past managed to enter the country using South African travel and identity documents, and also by exploiting the asylum process.
In response to questions from Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s Virgil Gericke and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party’s Nhlamulo Ndlela, the agency through the minister provided almost identical answers, saying it was working with regional counterparts to gather intelligence to identify any links between terrorist entities active in the region and South Africa.
The SSA said it had also been following up on media and research reports suggesting South Africa was being used by terrorists, but that many of them lacked substantiated evidence to back up claims.
Ntshavheni went on to say the region’s extensive, porous borders characterised by ineffective controls at several land and sea entry points and remote areas not accessible for border patrol could present the gap for terror suspects to enter South Africa illegally.
The SSA said some of these terror suspects could also have linked up with local terrorists or like-minded individuals to execute or plan terrorist attacks in South Africa.
Ntshavheni said the SSA was participating in a number of inter-departmental forums aimed at identifying potential terrorism risks and instituting measures to counter these threats.