Pictures: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
Durban – Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, says government has no evidence to support claims of a planned terrorist attack in Sandton.
The alert was issued on Wednesday afternoon by the US Embassy.
"The US government has 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 said an alert on its website.
The Embassy added that it had no further information about the timing, method or target of the potential attack.
It advised US Embassy staff to avoid crowds of people and other large public gatherings in the greater Sandton area during the weekend of 29-30 October 2022.
Speaking to the SABC, Gungubele said government is aware of the alert.
"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 added that teams have been following up to give evidence but this has not been provided.
"It is our primary duty, once they say it exists, we go further to check. At this point in time, as far as our teams are concerned, we don't have such evidence," he said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said the police would not comment on the matter.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has also not commented as yet.
IOL
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