CAPE TOWN -- South Africa had been warned that if it did not act against urban terror it could find itself in the same situation as Algeria, Safety and Security Minister Steve Tshwete said yesterday. Addressing a media briefing at Parliament, he defended himself against claims that he had no grounds for linking Muslim vigilante group Pagad to the terror, saying that a string of Pagad members had recently been convicted. The security forces also had yet to receive any indication from Pagad that it intended to discipline its members involved in violent acts. The police were not looking for an "unknown" group and evidence pointed to Pagad's G-Force group. Police were not looking beyond this group. It was now a matter of evidence gathering to prosecute the perpetrators, he said. Those responsible for the bombings and assassinations were few in number and operated in small cells spread over the Cape Flats. Most members of the Muslim community were unhappy with developments and were helping the police in the fight against "fundamentalist activities". Tshwete said he was confident normality would soon be restored in the city. He appealed to law-abiding Pagad members to come forward with information to end the scourge of urban terror. He gave the assurance that the police were in a position to provide adequate security to all judicial officials involved in urban terrorism court cases. It appeared the bombers were attempting to "maximise" the impact of their devices, but had not yet perfected these. Tshwete said forensic experts had detected similarities in the explosives used in the bombings. Pagad's G-Force appeared to have shifted its focus from drug dealers. The state was now "in the firing line" for, among other things, allowing legalised abortion and homosexuality. Tshwete said he wanted to make it clear that this was a serious situation and the government had to take a tough stand. "It is not the time for niceties when you are facing a group of this particular nature," he said. "Our friends in Algeria have intimated to us that if we are not taking a bold stand we may soon find ourselves in a similar situation as one finds in Algeria today." Algeria has been torn by violence since the army cancelled the 1992 legislative elections which a Muslim fundamentalist party, the Islamic Salvation Front, was favoured to win. Tshwete said he held no firm view on whether Pagad should be banned, but did not think this would solve anything. Security operations had to be intensified to get those responsible to court. The government also intended to tighten up anti-terror legislation, but would avoid a return to "apartheid-style" laws. In a statement, Koos van der Merwe of the Inkatha Freedom Party said the IFP was not sure if the envisaged legislation would serve its desired purpose. "Adding laws upon others cannot take the place of decisive leadership, which goes beyond threats," he said. -- Sapa
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