OWN CORRESPONDENT, cape Town | Tuesday 8.30pm.
POLICE warned Capetonians on Tuesday to expect more terror attacks following Sunday’s blast at St Elmos pizzeria in Camps Bay, while tourism officials said foreigners had begun cancelling plans to visit the city.
Justice Minister Penuell Maduna meanwhile vowed that the culprits of the pipe-bomb explosion which injured 48 people will be arrested by the end of the year.
Western Cape Assistant District Commissioner Dirk Crafford in a press interview urged the public to be on the lookout for suspicious parcels.
“It will be irresponsible not to expect more bombings while Sunday’s bombers are still on the loose,” Crafford said.
Three of the injured are still in a serious condition.
Maduna was speaking at the launch of Project Harmony in Soweto, an initiative that aims to highlight crimes against women and children, police murders and police and community relations.
On Monday, Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete said police had identified a “terror” group, which he did not name, as being behind the blast, adding that the bombers were bent on disrupting Cape Town’s millennium celebrations.
On Monday, Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete said police had identified a “terror” group, which he did not name, as being behind the blast, adding that the bombers were bent on disrupting Cape Town’s millennium celebrations.
Cape Town Tourism head Sheryl Ozinsky said some people who had planned to spend time in Cape Town during the Christmas season — the southern hemisphere summer — had sent in their cancellations by Monday morning, while others had inquired about their safety.
Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, meanwhile, urged owners of restaurants and public entertainment venues to install surveillance cameras and hire security guards.
Mfeketo urged residents to replace despair with “greater vigilance.”
“We cannot throw our hands up in despair and say Cape Town is hopeless,” she said. “Come to Cape Town, come to South Africa. … We cannot give in to cowards.” — AFP