[imagesource: Wikimedia Commons / Jeff Attaway]

There’s a good chance things will be a little quieter in Sandton over the coming weekend.

For those somehow out of the loop, the US Embassy released an official statement yesterday afternoon saying it received information that terrorists may be planning to attack and target large gatherings in Sandton this weekend and advised people to avoid crowds in the area.

A gay pride event and a show staged by Jewish comedian Nik Rabinowitz were identified as potential targets.

Not to be deterred, South Africans took to Twitter to share memes and jokes and take the piss out of how our government is handling things.

TimesLIVE rounded up a few responses:

Me in sandton when I hear and see anything suspicious pic.twitter.com/3Os4aUM8Q2

— Papa Champagne Pipi (@Kokoleo_zn) October 26, 2022

I hope this tweet doesn’t blow up😔😔😔

— Thendo Muloiwa (@MuloiwaThendo) October 26, 2022

Sandton, this weekend: pic.twitter.com/fyvsAqJtfl

— Amber Valentine 🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸 (@SoWhoIsAmber) October 26, 2022

Saturday

📍 Sandton pic.twitter.com/Onlmo82gx2

— Peace (@uPeace_) October 26, 2022

Apparently there’s an urgent Men’s Conference this weekend in Sandton! All men are required to be there, goodies include haircut and petrol money, please Retweet ❤️

— Intombi ka Bafo❤️ (@LebogangMolema3) October 26, 2022

#Terrorists #Sandton Literally me in Sandton this coming Saturday: pic.twitter.com/hBIEB59mfS

— Faith_M (@FaithMokoaleli) October 26, 2022

Me going to Sandton City this weekend to buy groceries. #Terrorists pic.twitter.com/RlGzLOxliU

— Mzukulu kamaJali (@mxohgumbi) October 26, 2022

Me in Sandton this weekend pic.twitter.com/KAqRPpp74b

— Glick James (@RileySZN) October 26, 2022

That wild haymaker kick (can you call a kick a haymaker? I’m going with it) reminds me that it’s been a while since we’ve seen one of those large-scale brawls.

Remember the Kyalami Estate brawl involving dachshunds and swords? It even came with behind-the-scenes footage. We’ve gone soft.

Naturally, our general government incompetence gets a shoutout:

When SAPS tries to clear the crowd ko Sandton this weekend:

pic.twitter.com/ZAVGbOmlyA

— Tumi Sole (@tumisole) October 26, 2022

“Possible terrorist attack in Sandton”

SANDF: pic.twitter.com/Dydt9DqwlZ

— L E S E D I (@_Hybreed_) October 26, 2022

OUR SANDF IS READY FOR Sandton 😌 pic.twitter.com/pVi3Q58F54

— Bongza ®🇿🇦 ❁ (@justbongza) October 26, 2022

I don’t know why you guys are stressing about the Sandton threat. Eskom will take the battery from the bomb athi its part of loadshedding. pic.twitter.com/SLDxUnrAY5

— Inenekazi 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 (@Inenekazi1) October 26, 2022

#terrorists #ISIS
Don’t worry guys , the SANDF and SAPS will protect Sandton pic.twitter.com/FuxkLtAjBu

— Kival (@KivalK5201) October 26, 2022

Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele downplayed the threat of an attack, saying the “alarm has been going on but up to this point it is not backed up by any evidence”.

As we pointed out earlier, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. A source close to the State Security Agency (SSA) said Gungubele had been left out of the loop when intelligence from US organisations was passed on to the SSA.

Speaking to Radio 702’s Bongani Bingwa, counter-terrorism expert Jasmine Opperman said it’s no surprise that South Africans have so little confidence in our counter-terrorism machinery:

“South Africa’s vulnerability and the region’s vulnerability to terrorism has significantly increased. We cannot ignore alerts from that angle, and it is a harsh reality…

Maybe this is a red flag, and this is exactly the response by government’s side being seemingly ill-informed on this matter. Where is the intelligence liaison, where are the updated risk profiles on terrorism in Gauteng, in Sandton, by the provincial office? There should have been a far more informative response…”

You can listen to that full interview here.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) earlier called on the public not to panic. It did encourage everyone to remain vigilant and show “situational awareness wherever they are”.

Liberty Two Degrees, owner of the Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square malls, says it has put “appropriate” security measures in place and the malls are currently trading as normal.

[sources:timeslive&radio702]