Explosions baffle authorities

Cape Town, the seat of South Africa’s parliament, has been rocked by at least 18 explosions over the past two years that have left police and analysts baffled. No one has claimed responsibility, and the targets have been disparate with no identifiable pattern.

The bombing spree started in November 1998 when a device exploded outside a popular restaurant. The latest explosion was at the weekend, when a car bomb went off outside a night club in Greenpoint.

At least three people have died and about 106 have been injured in the bombings that have generated widespread anger and anxiety among the city’s population. The weekend attack comes 16 days after another bomb exploded in a shopping complex, injuring two people.

Peter Gastrow of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) told IRIN there is very little evidence to identify any individual or groups responsible for the blasts. “The identity of those responsible remains a mystery as no one has claimed responsibility for the explosions,” said Gastrow. He added that whoever the perpetrators are, they appear to operate in a small, cohesive group that is difficult to penetrate by either the police or the intelligence services.

He added that at the same time, the perpetrators enjoy no sympathy from the public because of their anonymity. “If they had an agenda they are promoting, they would use the explosions to mobilise public support. But there have been no demands or claims from the responsible people.”

A widely held view among people in Cape Town, said Gastrow, is that the anti-drugs group, People Against Gangsters and Drugs (PAGAD) is responsible for the explosions. He said, however, that PAGAD denies the allegation and the police have not produced evidence that can lead to prosecutions. None of PAGAD’s members have been charged with the explosions, although 30 of its members have been arrested on charges including murder, robbery and theft.

Out of the 18 explosions, four people are currently on trial for the bombing of a synagogue in the suburb of Wynberg in Cape Town. But the four are not linked to any known group, and their charges were originally withdrawn before being reinstated by the police, whom some analysts suggest were acting under public pressure for action. The other explosions include one at a police station, two in gay bars, with the remainder directed at restaurants and shopping centres.

Among the theories circulating in Cape Town is that some of the blasts could be linked to the well-established criminal underworld, with the bombings serving as punishment for bars and restaurants that refuse to pay protection money. An alleged so-called “Third Force” element within the security establishment has also been blamed.

Gastrow said he is concerned there could be more explosions if the police and intelligence services don’t make a breakthrough. “The group will conclude that their operations pose a low risk, which could prompt them to continue with their bombing campaign.” He added that the explosions are harming the Western Cape province’s tourism and investment potential.