Is the UK Foreign Office overstating the terrorism risk to travellers in South Africa — and if so, why now?
If you live in South Africa you know it is not the safest place. We own that truth. But it is not a war zone. We live our lives, we try to do better, we take precautions. There are areas that are safe and areas that are not. It is not as though the UK is crime free.
What the Advisory Says
The Foreign Office advisory states that terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in South Africa, naming lone-actor attacks by individuals inspired by groups including Daesh, and listing tourist sites, shopping centres, high-profile events and crowded places as possible targets. It also notes that the conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories has raised tensions worldwide, and that attacks could target Jewish or Muslim communities.
Read the UK advisory for South Africa →
Why Put Terrorism First?
That the Foreign Office places terrorism at the top of its warning is, in SAMNET’s view, both disingenuous and concerning. Any honest risk assessment for a visitor to South Africa would put ordinary criminality first and terrorism last.
That is exactly what South Africans tell any visitor: avoid certain areas, stay aware, ask locals first, travel in groups, watch your belongings, carry a phone and someone to call. It is the same advice locals give in most countries in the world — and locals are often warier of parts of their own country than they need to be.
Questions Worth Asking
- Is this based on credible intelligence, or on counter-intelligence and false signals?
- Is it political, because South Africa does not agree with UK government policy?
- Why would Daesh target a country that has taken a position supporting Palestine’s largely Muslim population?
- How much greater is the risk of terrorism in South Africa than in the UK itself?
- Who has the most to gain from this warning — or from an attack, should one happen?
Terrorism is a threat anywhere, at any time, and in some places more than others. In some it is homegrown and in others foreign — in the United States, for instance, more attacks have come from domestic far-right actors than from foreign groups.
Exercise Care Regardless
South Africans should be more vigilant than usual. The world has become less safe because of conflict fuelled by hate, power and greed, and no position we take makes us immune to it. But doing the right thing is still better than giving in to fear.
Shared by the South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) in the interest of safety, security, countering political propaganda and foreign influence, and protecting human rights across the world.
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