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Stuff from Johannesburg

Calls on Minister to address the country on terrorist attack warning

Dear Editor

A warning issued by the US Embassy yesterday relating to a possible terrorist attack in the Sandton region of Johannesburg must be taken very seriously.

Given the unprecedented nature of this sort of announcement, by a foreign embassy within our own borders, it brings into question the capability of South Africa’s own intelligence services under the ANC. To date, the reaction by the ANC Government has been worryingly indifferent and dismissive.

The DA calls on Mondli Gungubele, as the Minister who oversees State Security within the Presidency, to urgently make a public announcement informing our citizens that governments intends to treat this matter with the necessary seriousness and agency to allay fears and prevent panic.

Last year, after spectacular failures of State Security and intelligence in the attempted insurrection in KwaZulu-Natal, President Ramaphosa centralized and concentrated State Security power in his own office. Now is the first real public test of that decision.

It is an indictment on South Africa’s intelligence and state security establishment that a foreign government raised alarm on a possible terrorist threat in the country, and our own State Security apparatus, confirmed by the Presidential Spokesperson, seem to have been caught unaware and off guard.

This is a serious alert that was raised by the US Embassy and the South African government cannot brush it away through the dismissive statement that they issued yesterday.

People who live and do business in the Sandton area need to be given strong and visible assurance that the government is in control of the situation and their security is guaranteed.

It is our sincere hope, and our most profound wish that the threat proves to not come true. But national governments are required to stand up to national security threats, not dismiss them.

Regards

Natasha Mazzone MP
DA Shadow Minister of State Security and National Security Advisor to the Leader of the Official Opposition

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Sophiatown: The Lost “Paris of the Transvaal”

Sophiatown’s golden age was the 1940s and 50s. It was a dense, vibrant, and often dangerous neighborhood, characterized by “backyard” rooms, shebeens (illegal speakeasies), and a sophisticated social scene. It was the birthplace of Kwaito’s ancestors and the legendary “Marabi” music—a blend of traditional African rhythms and American ragtime. The streets were home to the most iconic figures of African literature and music: Miriam Makeba found her voice here; Hugh Masekela received his first trumpet from a local priest; and the writers of Drum magazine, like Can Themba and Bloke Modisane, used the neighborhood as their muse. They dressed in Fedora hats and double-breasted suits, channeling the style of Hollywood gangsters and Harlem intellectuals, creating a world that was cosmopolitain, intellectual, and radically multi-racial.

However, the “Bohemia” of Sophiatown was an existential threat to the National Party’s vision of total racial separation. The government viewed it as a “black spot” in a white area. In 1955, the state launched Western Areas Removal Scheme. On the morning of February 9th, 2,000 heavily armed police officers moved in, forcing families into trucks at gunpoint. They were relocated to the newly established matchbox houses of the South Western Townships (Soweto), 20 kilometers away. The resistance was led by figures like Trevor Huddleston, the Anglican priest whose church, St. Joseph’s, still stands today. Despite the slogan “Ons dak nie, ons pola hier” (We are not moving, we are staying here), the bulldozers were relentless.