National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi may have been “grandstanding” when he told Parliament’s safety and security portfolio committee that several al-Qaeda operatives were arrested in South Africa ahead of the April 14 elections, the Democratic Alliance said.
DA MP Roy Jankielsohn said on Thursday Selebi’s remarks directly contradicted pronouncements made in the month before the election by a senior South African National Defence Force (SANDF) official, as well as by Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula.
“Was Mr Selebi ‘grandstanding’ to get some publicity, or is someone not telling the truth?
“Minister Nqakula was quoted by News24.com on March 17 as stating that there are no ‘al-Qaeda cells in South Africa’.
“According to the news website Iol.co.za, the SANDF’s Captain Edward Ratala said on April 10 [four days before the election] that their threat analysis report showed ‘no real threat to ballot day’.
“The onus now lies on Commissioner Selebi to explain these contradictions, and to reassure the South African public that there is coherency in identifying potential threats in our security structures.”
Jankielsohn said the DA supports the government’s efforts and campaigns to combat terrorism in South Africa, “but we at least want all security agencies to sing from the same song sheet”.
He said the DA is deeply disturbed by the informal and “off the cuff” manner in which Selebi had made his revelations on Wednesday regarding al-Qaeda.
“The war on terror and al-Qaeda’s part in terrorist activities is no laughing matter, and certainly not something to refer to in a ‘oh by the way’ manner.
“If this organisation’s operatives were active in our country, the public should have been informed long ago.”
Jankielsohn called on Selebi to answer several questions, including:
- Why were some of the alleged al-Qaeda suspects “forced to leave the country” and not arrested?
- How many suspected al-Qaeda operatives were arrested in South Africa and on what grounds were they charged? and
- On what basis did the commissioner believe al-Qaeda would want to disrupt South Africa’s elections?
He said the DA will make use of parliamentary questions to get the answers to these questions. — Sapa
SA arrests lead to al-Qaeda: Selebi