South Africa Readies Response To Alleged Plot To Kill AU Head

African Union Commission chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Credit: AFP Photo

South Africa’s intelligence unit plans to respond to allegations that it was unprepared to deal with a plot to assassinate African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in 2012 contained in purported leaked cables cited by Al-Jazeera television, according to Bloomberg.

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“We had meant to give a statement last night, but it was delayed and will be issued some time today,” Brian Dube, spokesman for the South African State Security Agency, said by phone on Wednesday. “The statement from government will be a response to these developments around the leakage.”

Another allegedly leaked cable published on Al Jazeera’s website said a madrassa, or Islamic school, in Johannesburg trains South African Muslim students and foreigners “to keep them ready for a possible Jihad against USA aggression in the Middle East.”

Iran provided religious training to South African students and its intelligence service focused on the arms and mining industries and nuclear technology, according to the January 2010 cable.

Based on Bloomberg reports, South African intelligence officials were alerted to the alleged plot to kill Dlamini-Zuma, the country’s former foreign minister, a week after she took office in October 2012 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, according to the purported cables.

There was no attack and the cables didn’t reveal the names of the alleged plotters, according to Al Jazeera.