Posted on 10/30/2002 8:43:54 PM PST by Michael2001
Nine explosions rocked Soweto on Tuesday night, damaging a mosque and railway lines in what cabinet ministers believe was a bid to provoke violence and instability in the country.
Damage is estimated at R2 million, Transnet said on Wednesday.
A woman was killed and her husband injured in one of the blasts, which President Thabo Mbeki said yesterday were the work of criminals seeking to introduce a terrorist campaign in South Africa. He said it is important for South Africans not to respond to the provocation.
Although it is still not clear who the perpetrators were, the incidents appear to be in line with information the government has about racist right-wing groups trying to overthrow the state.
The series of explosions began around 11.30 pm on Tuesday when passers-by alerted police to two "suspicious" white men near a filling station in Potchefstroom Road.
Upon investigation, police found a bomb wired to a clock near the garage. The device was defused.
However, at midnight, three explosions occurred at a bridge at New Canada railway station.
About 400 m from the scene of the initial blasts another two bombs exploded, causing extensive damage to the railway line.
At 12.20 am, another bomb ripped through a mosque in Dhlamini.
A piece of railway line fell onto a shack in Protea South at about 1.40 am, killing Claurina Mokone, and wounding her husband, Simon Mukhathi..
Around 3.15 am, Soweto police radio control and the dog unit reported that a guard at Midway railway station informed them of an explosion at the station.
All the bombs used were "commercial explosives", containing ammonium nitrate, commonly used on the mines, said National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi.
At 10 am, the detonator of a bomb exploded at a Buddhist temple in Bronkhorstspruit near Pretoria. Police have not yet determined if this blast was linked to the others.
Intelligence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Justice Minister Penuell Maduna and Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula spent the day in Soweto, inspecting the blast sites and meeting with high-ranking police officers.
Maduna, asked whether the blasts will affect tourism, said tourists will keep visiting South Africa, irrespective of such incidents. "We want to make it safe not only for tourists but for everybody and the best security is our own vigilance," he said.
Nqakula confirmed that police are investigating reports that two white people were seen running away from one of the blast sites. He said the government has been investigating alleged right-wing activities for two years and knows bombs are being manufactured.
Meanwhile, police arrested two men on Wednesday on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
Detective services spokesman Phuti Setati said thus far 17 people have been arrested in connection with the coup plot by white extremists.
The two are a farmer from Bethal in Mpumalanga and a businessman from Bothaville, northern Free State. Setati said the men were arrested after a lengthy, ongoing investigation and stressed they are not at this stage linked to yesterday's bomb blasts.
No arrests had been made in connection with those blasts by late on Wednesday but the Serious and Violent Crime Unit and the Crime Intelligence Unit are giving the investigation priority, Setati said.
Maybe they're those white men who were supposed to be the snipers.
Obvious racial profiling...
Well, whoever is setting these bombs off isn't causing widespread property damage. $200,000 with 10 bombs is $20,000 per bomb. Start some fires and you'd do more damage.
Sometimes bombs blow up while being constructed. I'd sift the rubble of the mosque for extra spools of detonating cord, pliers, fingers sporting official Jihad decoder rings...
Darn, the Boers have got ALL the good names for streets. We have GOT to get some like this here in Memphis....
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