DIAL DEFACED
in the narrative when they go out to recruit. In all the cases I have worked with, only one incident occurred where violence played a role and that was unintentionally,” said Opperman.
“SA is being exposed to this world, we’ve seen it in Mozambique with the al-Shabaab cult where there was some sort of radicalisation. The government claimed the group has been defeated. However, it regrouped and launched an attack last week.”
Opperman believes Port Elizabeth is a hotbed for IS and al-Qaeda activity. “It is an area which is concerning me, it is running like wildfire,” she said, adding there was no need for training camps as most information could be gained over the internet. “Our greatest vulnerability at the moment is the silence,” Opperman said, and noted she didn’t see people taking it seriously. Junior reseacher at the Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme of the Institute for Security Studies Raeesah Cassim Cachalia and consultant Albertus Schoeman reported in a policy brief last year transnational extremist groups were expanding their networks across the globe.
“South Africa has been linked to al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda and, more recently, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, with 60 – 100 South Africans estimated to have joined the group,” they wrote.
Schoeman wrote in a paper the links between SA and terrorism are real. “Evidence suggests that SA has been used as a transit point for terrorists, and as a base for planning, training and financing terror operations,” she said.
“But perhaps the bigger problem is government communication in response to the allegations and mounting evidence. Rather than shedding light and inspiring confidence, the official line has fostered distrust and uncertainty.”