President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday condemned what he said were criminal acts in Soweto by people ”seeking to introduce a terrorist campaign in this country”.
Speaking during a press conference with visiting Greek president Constantinos Stephanopoulos, he said the perpetrators of the blast would fail in their quest to destroy South Africa’s unity.
He said it was very important for South Africans not to respond to the provocation.
Although it was still not clear who the perpetrators were this appeared to be in line with information the government had about racist right-wing groups trying to overthrow the South African government.
Earlier, parties across the political spectrum roundly condemned the bomb blasts and called for the perpetrators to be brought to book as speedily as possible.
National Assembly safety and security committee chairman Mluleki George condemned the ”cowardly” bombings by sick people who did not have the guts to come forward and explain the reasons.
The perpetrators were simply a ”few criminals”, because if the motives were political they would have claimed responsibility.
Creating a state of panic had to be avoided, as this could be more dangerous. ”We are not under siege.”
True South Africans, black or white, ”care about their children”, and wanted peace and harmony between fellow citizens. The perpetrators were not such people.
No one was being disadvantaged racially in the country, and there was no need for such cowardly activities.
George said the bombings were a clear indication of the need for the Explosives Bill — being discussed in the committee on Wednesday and due to be voted on Thursday.
”We can’t just have explosives and not control them. All it takes is one fool to place a bomb.”
The bill seeks to regulate and control the manufacture and use of all aspects of explosives, including fireworks.
Paul Swart of the Democratic Alliance (DA) agreed with George, and said South Africans were living in a democratic society, in which everyone had equal rights.
People could argue for these rights in a democratic way without having to turn to violence. All that remained now was for the police to investigate and bring the perpetrators to book for justice to be done, Swart said.
Elred Ferreira of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) also condemned the blasts, but cautioned against making premature assumptions as to who was responsible.
Apparently the explosives used were ”home made”, and one would need more information ”before we can speak on an informed basis”, he said.
The United Democratic Movement’s (UDM) Annelize van Wyk expressed condolences and sympathy to the families of the dead and injured.
The bombings served as a timeous reminder that South Africa was not exempt from terror attacks, which these had indeed been, she said.
African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader Kenneth Meshoe said the blasts had been ”wicked”, and the police should leave no stone unturned in their search for those responsible. Once caught, all efforts should be made to ensure a ”very tight case” against them, and the maximum sentence.
There could be no room for terrorism, and a clear message had to be sent that such activities would not be condoned in South Africa, Meshoe said.
Sunklavathy Rajbally of the Minority Front expressed similar sentiments, adding that she hoped the perpetrators would be caught and punished as soon as possible.
George said Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula had cancelled all his engagements for the day and had flown to Johannesburg to deal with the situation.
He was being accompanied by Justice Minister Penuell Maduna and Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. – Sapa