Minister warns of escalating terror

South Africa had been warned that if it does not take tough action on urban terror, it could soon find itself in the same situation as violence-wracked Algeria, Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete said on Monday.

Addressing a media briefing at Parliament, Tshwete said he wanted to make it absolutely clear that this was a very serious situation, and that the government would have to take a tough stand. “This is not the time for niceties when you are facing a group of this particular nature,” he said. “Our friends in Algeria have even intimated to us if we are not taking a bold stand we might soon find ourselves in a similar situation as one finds in Algeria today. They are saying to us that is how it started in Algeria, and it is where it is today.”

Tshwete said he sympathised with the anxieties in the minds of the public, and concerns that the police had so far been unable to deal a decisive blow to terrorism in the city of Cape Town. “We also understand very well their concerns that if we are not able to get on top of the situation immediately, the likelihood of this whole thing spreading to other provinces cannot be ruled out.”