Right wing extremist groups, Islamist terrorism, and generating funding for terrorist networks are the three main terrorism threats facing South Africa, according to Institute for Security Studies (ISS) expert Willem Els.

Speaking at the Border Management Conference and Expo in Pretoria on 13 November, Else said that the real threat of terrorism in South Africa has been an open question for a very long time because no real empirical research has been done into this area. Nevertheless, he has identified three major terror threats in South Africa. The first is right wing extremist groups, but “that situation is more or less under control as those groups have been monitored quite effectively.” The leaders of the National Christian Resistance Movement aka ‘Crusaders’ right-wing organisation have been imprisoned, for example.

The second, and far more serious, challenge is the Islamist extremist threat. In places like Mayfair, Soweto, the East Rand, and Hillbrow, “we picked up a lot of radicalisation taking place especially at madrasas, especially where they are indoctrinating children as young as 11. This is ongoing and sustained. If we don’t deal with this in its early stages, it might get out of hand,” Els warned.

Another major concern is terrorism funding. Over a year ago South Africa received a “wakeup call” when the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey listed South Africa because of the country’s less than adequate addressing of the threat of money laundering and terror funding. The country is making efforts to get off the grey list and may come off it next year following another audit.

“Why is South Africa attractive for terror funding? Infrastructure and an advanced banking system make moving funds easy,” Els explained, adding that the high crime rate makes it easy to generate illicit funding; high levels of corruption enable actors to operate with impunity; and terror groups work closely with organised crime. South Africa is investigating some 20 cases of terror funding as part of getting off the grey list, Els said.

South Africa is not alone on the grey list – out of the other countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania are also on the grey list.

Growing terrorism in Africa

The rise in Islamist extremist should be seen in the context of increasing terrorism on the continent. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s latest Global Terrorism Index, the epicentre of terrorism has moved from the Middle East to Africa, with Burkina Faso taking the top spot in terms of terror activity – Mali is number three on the global list, and Somalia 7, while Nigeria is ranked 8. Multiple terror groups are active in Africa, including Boko Haram, JNIM, Al Shabaab, Islamic State, and ADF. Terrorism deaths are now considerably higher in sub-Saharan Africa than in any other region.

Els said that South Africa is ranked at 89 on the list only because the Index measures attacks, but a lot of funding leaves South Africa for Somalia where it goes to Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mozambique. Kenya is also a terror finance hotbed.

Tighter border security needed

“Borders are the weak underbelly of the South African system. If we do not mange it, it could become the main conduit,” Els said. Weak and under-resourced borders are “making us more vulnerable to terrorism. Terrorists are exploiting this.” He cited an example of the Lebombo port of entry with Mozambique. Taxi drivers regularly stop before the border post, drop passengers who run through holes in the border fence, and pick up the passengers after they have crossed into Mozambique. “Only the driver is processed. The rest of the passengers walk around the border post.”

Across the border in Mozambique, Els said when the insurgency in Cabo Delgado got going in 2017, recruits from South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda flocked there. Mozambique’s weak response means terrorists are still active, with insurgents having a free hand outside the green zones around Pemba, Palma, and Mocimboa da Praia.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique recently withdrew to focus on the DRC, leaving “a huge void” in addressing and countering the threat. Els noted that protests against the government following a disputed election have contributed to the anarchy in Cabo Delgado and a rise in attacks.

“It’s open knowledge there’s a constant flow of money and people from South Africa to Mozambique. I interviewed Cabo Delgado immigration officials and they said they have 21 South Africans fighting there,” Els said, but that’s not all of them.

“Why are borders the weakest link? if we don’t contain and counter, the problem could erupt,” Els told the conference. Outside threats to South Africa include Islamic State recruitment and radicalisation, and terror groups mobilising logistics in South Africa. However, the elephant in the room is corruption and compromised actors that are facilitating porous borders, such as corruption immigration and Home Affairs officials that allow illegal immigrants to move across, or provide false documentation. Lack of effective cooperation with neighbouring countries is also something of a concern when it comes to border security, Els said.

Other concerns he highlighted include under-resourced agencies, weak intelligence, weak crime combating capability (which is reflected in crime statistics), and weak investigation capacity (there is currently aa shortage of 8 000 detectives in South Africa).

“Law enforcement is doing a great job given the circumstances. We are on the back foot due to resources, capacity and skills. Intelligence capacity in South Africa is lacking and the FATF addressed this in their assessment of South Africa.”

Recommendations

Els provided a list of recommendations towards addressing South Africa’s terrorism challenges. “The South African Counter-Terrorism Strategy is classified. We need to develop a more holistic approach towards that,” he said. He also called for regular updates to the strategy as well as the political will to deal with foreign terror groups.

Terror funding and money laundering should be continuously targeted. “Capacity building is essential. Our skills deficit is moving from the state to the private sector.” Other recommendations are more countries implement the SADC Transnational Organised Crime Strategy and SADC Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and South Africa develop a proactive rather than reactive approach to terrorism.