US Scare mongering – another blow to our fragile economy

When the US State Department refuses to divulge further details regarding an alleged terror attack being planned against US interests in South Africa, one has to take it with a pinch of salt yet be very wary of the sinister allegations. Although there were one or two incidents in the past of South African individuals alleged to be affiliated with terror groups from the Middle East and elsewhere, there was little credible information to substantiate such claims.

The latest statements by US officials of a possible terror plot inside the country may be the cause of a multitude of motives. The most famous assumption, is the US being wary on the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and therefore link the date as commemoration of its success by fundamentalists to celebrate with further terrorist attacks.  Which I think is a load of crock! If this is so, why not target any other country around the world? Another reason could be our Government’s alignment with the BRICS countries and thus turning to the East for alternative investment and trading partners. In my opinion, all is not what is seems on the surface, and I believe there are other underlying manoeuvres in the making. The US State Department is well aware that sounding an alarm of this nature in any country can cause huge economic and political damage to that country’s image. Therefore careful thought and possible repercussions must have been evaluated before the announcements were made. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that no credible information of proof for such allegations is forthcoming. Which leads one to believe the act was deliberately done to harm South Africa’s image abroad.

In trying to understand why the US would harm South Africa’s image, one has to look beyond the actual deed. The US and Israeli Governments are joined at the hip and the Israeli PM has substantial influence over the US government.  When Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu opens his mouth the US Senate trembles with fear. The announcement by our Department of Home Affairs to  review the legislation governing dual citizenship, with the explicit aim of preventing South African Jews from supporting and serving in the Israeli army could possibly be a cause of the sudden terror plot. Bibi opened his mouth with South Africa as the context, and the rest is self-explanatory.

The decision by the South African government to publicly support and act on their sympathetic affiliation to the Palestinian cause, was a move made with little after thought as to the consequences of their actions. Then again, what more could we expect from our officials.  Someone should have told them to keep their support for the Palestinian cause strictly on a diplomatic basis and only in an International forum, speak out in support of other nations with a similar view. Acting on their beliefs was a huge faux pas and the repercussions, as we can see may be devastating to our economy.

The recent fiasco regarding the new Visa regulations has already affected our tourism industry, which is a substantial contributor to GDP. The US terror warning, would naturally scare off foreign investors, and label South Africa as a no-go destination for investment, hence affecting the economy. With negative GDP growth over the last quarter, and rising unemployment, the economy can ill-afford government officials exacerbating the situation by stirring up shit that they cannot control, in the long term! Just saying…..