Suspected Link Between ConCourt Attack and Parliament Fire Remains a Conspiracy Theory, Expert Weighs In

• Professor Antony van Niekerk believes that there is no link between the recent incidents at the Constitutional Court and the Houses of Parliament
• Van Niekerk said that these incidents should not be viewed as attacks on the South African government or ruling party
• The Congress of the People (COPE) believes that there is an agenda behind the incidents and that they were pre-planned

JOHANNESBURG - Professor Antony van Niekerk from the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Governance said that there is no reason to assume that the recent incidents at the Constitutional Court and Houses of Parliament are linked in any way.

Van Niekerk said that these incidents must not be viewed as attacks on the South African government or ruling party until investigations into the specific circumstances have been concluded.

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“I want to point out that we have many national key points of which some really stand out... It is the purpose of the security sector and intelligence to do that,” Van Niekerk said.

Differing beliefs on the recent incidents at national key points

Van Niekerk's perspective is not shared by all South Africans, as evidenced by the Congress of the People (COPE). The political party believes that there is an agenda behind the incidents and that they were carefully planned by parties that wish to render South Africa ungovernable.

Dennis Bloem, a spokesperson for COPE, said that the party believes that the recent incidents are not only linked to one another, but also to the July unrest last year, East Coat Radio reports. Bloem added that South Africans must express their condemnation for the incidents, as they threaten democracy.

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According to SABC News, Dr Jakkie Ciliers, a futurist, believes that what is really to blame is negligence in maintenance and security at national key points. Cilliers said that if they are strategically planned, then law enforcement should not be targeting a single suspect, but rather an organised group.

Reactions to different theories about national key points

Penny Gooms believes:

"It is probable that someone may have facilitated the entry of the homeless man into the building while somebody else committed the criminal activities... made him a willing scapegoat in a sense. Everything is possible. Investigate."

Tatane asked:

"The President must make Mr Zandile Mafe the Head of State Security. How did he know the layout of Parliament, that no police or private security [would] be there and that the cameras were not working?"

@TMayekiso shared:

"There's no intelligence in this country."

Peter Burger remarked:

"The words South Africa and intelligence don't belong in the same sentence."

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South Africans say the State is under attack after a man was arrested for smashing ConCourt windows with a hammer

@KagishoSidumo said:

"Intelligence is busy fighting factional battles within the ANC."

ConCourt attack suspect arrested, Ramaphosa responds to vandalism

In earlier news about the national key point incidents, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa has reacted to an attack on the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, which occurred yesterday (5 January). The president said that the vandalism of the national key point is concerning.

The attack was allegedly conducted by a man, aged 36, who hit the windows of the building with a hammer. The man has been arrested on charges of malicious damage to property. His court date is yet to be announced.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said that when police officers arrived at the scene, they ordered the accused to immediately stop what he was doing, but he ignored them and continued, at which point an officer fired a warning shot.

Source: Briefly News