Premier escapes blast

The premier of South Africa’s Western Cape province, Gerald Morkel, on Tuesday narrowly escaped serious injury when a bomb exploded outside a centre in Cape Town shortly after his arrival to address a political meeting. The bomb - the ninth this year in the city hosting the country’s parliament - injured seven people, including a young girl, three women, a policeman and two other men. Morkel’s spokesman, Chris Koole, told IRIN that the premier had just walked into Samaj centre when the bomb went off. “The bomb damaged the premier’s car and the police escort vehicle behind it, as well as other cars near the scene,” Koole said. Koole said Morkel does not believe the bomb was aimed at him personally. “Morkel believes a small group of fanatics is targeting state representatives in an onslaught against democracy,” Koole said. He added that the bombing campaign in the city - the 20th since it started in August 1998 - is damaging investor confidence in the whole province. “Development in the province will be retarded as tourism gets affected and citizens will lose trust in the capacity of law enforcement agents to protect them,” said Koole. The latest explosion comes a day after parliament debated the continuing bombing spree and four days after a magistrate - who was presiding over urban terror cases - was killed outside his house. On Friday, another bomb went off outside a cafe in the Observatory suburb of the city, but caused no injuries. The Justice Minister, Penuell Maduna, speaking in parliament on Tuesday, said: “We know the names of the elements involved in urban terror, but we have difficulty getting evidence that will bear judicial scrutiny.” Maduna, according to news reports, has instructed the Law Commission to scrutinise the draft anti-terrorism legislation that the government planned to implement in its fight against urban terror plaguing the Western Cape province. The law, if passed by parliament, could lead to the banning of the anti-drugs group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD) and allow for the indefinite detention of suspects before they are brought before a court. The Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete - speaking in parliament during the debate - again blamed PAGAD for the bombs, saying: “They use Islam as a front for their cowardly activities, bringing the name of a great religion into disrepute. They are terrorists, pure and simple.” A total of four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the Cape Town bombings started. The targets of the bombings have included police stations, restaurants, gay bars and the airport. At least four members of PAGAD and its armed wing, G-Force, are in custody awaiting trial on more than 125 charges, including the alleged murder of a policeman investigating urban terror cases.