The Planet Hollywood blast, in which one man died and twenty seven people were injured, was one of a spate of pipe bomb attacks in the Western Cape in the past few months.
Since January this year there have been 66 pipe bomb blasts, 12 petrol bomb attacks and 4 hand grenade explosions targeting the homes of gangsters, business people and academics.
Fifty-one people have been injured and nine people lost their lives. Police claim they have linked most of these attacks to Pagad, a predominantly Muslim organisation
conducting a sometimes violent campaign against gangsterism and drugs.
Chanting: ‘death to America’
There’s an overwhelming anti-American feeling among Muslims in South Africa and abroad. This stems from the United States support for Israel and its aggressive policies towards countries such as Iran and Iraq. This resistance reached fever pitch with the US bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan two weeks ago.
This weekend Muslims against Global oppression protested
outside the American embassy in Capetown.
Female Protestor: Clinton must renounce his stipulation of war against seneitism and Islam. Our last message to you is that we must implicate Global efficients who will monitor you and your allies closely. We warn you that we will not tolerate any more of verbal and physical intimidation against members of our organisation. If intimidation does occur, our campaign will intensify.
Muslims chanting ‘Death to America’
Immediately after the waterfront attack and anonymous caller, claiming to represent Muslims against global oppression, called a local radio station and claimed responsibility for the blast. MAGO later officially denied this.
Abdul Kayum Ahmed: We had absolutely nothing to do either the attack and we condemn the attack in the strongest terms possible. We have been implicated to a large extent in the attack but we once again must reinforce that we condemn and that we oppose the attack in the strongest terms possible.
Three suspects affiliated to Pagad were arrested shortly after the attack but released soon afterward.
Pagad slated the police for immediately assuming they’d had a hand in the bombing.
Madelief Botha, Pagad Executive Committee: It seems as if only pipe bombs are responsible for violence on the Cape flats. Already pipe bomb attacks have been linked to Pagad. Pagad has never ever accepted responsibility for any of those bombs and it has never been proved, although the government seems to say there is a pattern, and it’s a Pagad pipe bomb or its related to Pagad. But what about the fact that women are getting raped, that children are getting addicted to drugs and that people are killed in taxi accidents where the drivers may be drunk. What about that. I call that violence.
Wicus Holtzhausen, SAPS outside Planet Hollywood: If you look at the pipe bomb that was used here, it is a similar pipe bomb that was used, that was thrown to the police in a police’s office in Delvill. It was the same pipe bomb that was used on other incidents in the Cape flats. So I think it very clearly shows a finger to the same people that threw the other Pipe bombs on the Cape flats, and we have arrested quite a few members of Pagad who were involved in those incidents and I think that’s very interesting from them now to deny their involvement in this attack.
Cassiem Parker, Pagad Spokes person: We have to say to all the people involved that, whether it be Planet Hollywood or any other bomb for that matter, we are asking the police to actually track down the perpetrators. And the police have shown that they have a very poor track record in this regard and we say that it’s simply because they are targeting Pagad as prime suspects. Once they change their minds about it and actually focus on finding the perpetrator, rather than finding a person in Pagad guilty, then we can say yes the police are starting to do their job.
Wicus: Well that’s absolutely nonsense, and as I have said each and everyone who are against them are being criticised from their side and I think if they are the good guys in the story they must now come forward and show us that they are the good guys in the story and stop throwing pipe bombs and doing the things that's not within the law.
Cassiem: Unfortunately we must say that Pagad has also been misunderstood and misrepresented by many sectors. Sadly enough the South African police service has now embarked on a smear campaign against Pagad.
Muslim leaders and many ordinary voices in the community have condemned the acts of terror at the waterfront and on the cape flats.
Unlike the police they refuse to point a finger at any particular group. Fear permeates the people of the Cape flats. Many are afraid of speaking out for fear of retribution.
Dullah Omar, Minister of Justice: The majority of Muslim people in South Africa reject violence and they do not want to see this kind of terrorism in our country. Many Muslims have been victims of the same kind of violence and so we must not ascribe to Muslims and demonize Muslims for what a small group of people are doing.
Dr Ebrahim Moosa, Islamic Studies, UCT: By and large most Muslims are, do not agree, and do not support, either the violent rhetoric or the violent actions that may be perpetrated in their name. The problem is that none of them can dissociate themselves with those groups, because, again, of fear of intimidation. You find several instances of businessmen and people who are so scared of saying anything that they either keep silent or they would support and pay extortion money to whom so ever comes to them.
Dr Faried Essack, Muslim Theologian: What I find most distressing is that all the, the goodwill that Muslims had built up in the years of the struggle against apartheid; that so much of the good will is now being eroded by these, not senseless, but these callous and cowardly actions that we are seeing and regrettably being done in the name of..as I Muslim I am hurt. I am hurt, I am offended, and to some extent sometimes I feel paralysed. Ya, so I guess I am also angry.
Dullah Omar: The problem within Pagad has been that there’s always been a little group of people who’ve been in the leadership, who were never serious about co operating with government or co- operating with the police. There’s always been a group that had an agenda of its own. And I think that agenda will become clearer as time goes on.
Dr Ebrahim Moosa: I think it is important that South Africans know, because this can lead to much more serious consequences, that every Muslim, every body wearing a scarf or wearing a cap,
Dr Ebrahim Moosa: is not a terrorist.
On the 13 July a pipe bomb was thrown into Dr Moosa’s home. A UCT academic and former journalist, he had publicly criticised Pagad and other groups.
Neither Moosa nor the police have identified the attackers. However, he’s decided to leave South Africa for a year to teach in the United States.
Dr Mossa: This is in no way, is it any way that these criminals whoever they are who perpetrated.., will manage to silence me. And it should not be seen in that way, but I think I owe it to my family and my children, that they have some environment in which they can breathe again without the threat of gunmen or bombs and these things coming our way. I am extremely angry that I am forced by circumstances to leave the country of my birth in order to get a breather and to get out of the fray of things where there is violence all around us and is difficult for my family and children to recover in this environment. So I am very angry and I am very angry that the people I pay my tax dollars, tax Rands to that they cannot give me the necessary protection. Not that I want a policeman at my door, but I want a society in which I can move around freely and do my work in a way that I will not be intimidated and one doesn’t have to fear – neither criminals nor thought police.
Dr Essack: The Muslim community is not about bombs, it is not about terrorism, those are the exceptions within our community.
Chanting of prayers
Muslim Man: People think of Muslims of being terrorists and fundamentalists and things like that. We are not that type of people.
Muslim Man 2: In accordance with the Holy Koran as a Muslim you must abide by its laws and its principle. And as far as I am concerned Islam is a non violent religion.
Muslim Man: Violence can be a means of getting somewhere, and some people are going to make use of it.
Shiek Sa’Dullah Khan of the Gatesville Mosque also received anonymous threats. He too is leaving the country in a few weeks although he insists that he is not running away from the chaos and violence.
Shiek Sa’Dullah Khan: Though I must say that I am a bit stressed and disappointed about the situation we find ourselves in and the fact that the community is being held hostage by whoever the criminals might be.
Since January this year there have been 66 pipe bomb blasts, 12 petrol bomb attacks and 4 hand grenade explosions targeting the homes of gangsters, business people and academics.
Fifty-one people have been injured and nine people lost their lives. Police claim they have linked most of these attacks to Pagad, a predominantly Muslim organisation
conducting a sometimes violent campaign against gangsterism and drugs.
Chanting: ‘death to America’
There’s an overwhelming anti-American feeling among Muslims in South Africa and abroad. This stems from the United States support for Israel and its aggressive policies towards countries such as Iran and Iraq. This resistance reached fever pitch with the US bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan two weeks ago.
This weekend Muslims against Global oppression protested
outside the American embassy in Capetown.
Female Protestor: Clinton must renounce his stipulation of war against seneitism and Islam. Our last message to you is that we must implicate Global efficients who will monitor you and your allies closely. We warn you that we will not tolerate any more of verbal and physical intimidation against members of our organisation. If intimidation does occur, our campaign will intensify.
Muslims chanting ‘Death to America’
Immediately after the waterfront attack and anonymous caller, claiming to represent Muslims against global oppression, called a local radio station and claimed responsibility for the blast. MAGO later officially denied this.
Abdul Kayum Ahmed: We had absolutely nothing to do either the attack and we condemn the attack in the strongest terms possible. We have been implicated to a large extent in the attack but we once again must reinforce that we condemn and that we oppose the attack in the strongest terms possible.
Three suspects affiliated to Pagad were arrested shortly after the attack but released soon afterward.
Pagad slated the police for immediately assuming they’d had a hand in the bombing.
Madelief Botha, Pagad Executive Committee: It seems as if only pipe bombs are responsible for violence on the Cape flats. Already pipe bomb attacks have been linked to Pagad. Pagad has never ever accepted responsibility for any of those bombs and it has never been proved, although the government seems to say there is a pattern, and it’s a Pagad pipe bomb or its related to Pagad. But what about the fact that women are getting raped, that children are getting addicted to drugs and that people are killed in taxi accidents where the drivers may be drunk. What about that. I call that violence.
Wicus Holtzhausen, SAPS outside Planet Hollywood: If you look at the pipe bomb that was used here, it is a similar pipe bomb that was used, that was thrown to the police in a police’s office in Delvill. It was the same pipe bomb that was used on other incidents in the Cape flats. So I think it very clearly shows a finger to the same people that threw the other Pipe bombs on the Cape flats, and we have arrested quite a few members of Pagad who were involved in those incidents and I think that’s very interesting from them now to deny their involvement in this attack.
Cassiem Parker, Pagad Spokes person: We have to say to all the people involved that, whether it be Planet Hollywood or any other bomb for that matter, we are asking the police to actually track down the perpetrators. And the police have shown that they have a very poor track record in this regard and we say that it’s simply because they are targeting Pagad as prime suspects. Once they change their minds about it and actually focus on finding the perpetrator, rather than finding a person in Pagad guilty, then we can say yes the police are starting to do their job.
Wicus: Well that’s absolutely nonsense, and as I have said each and everyone who are against them are being criticised from their side and I think if they are the good guys in the story they must now come forward and show us that they are the good guys in the story and stop throwing pipe bombs and doing the things that's not within the law.
Cassiem: Unfortunately we must say that Pagad has also been misunderstood and misrepresented by many sectors. Sadly enough the South African police service has now embarked on a smear campaign against Pagad.
Muslim leaders and many ordinary voices in the community have condemned the acts of terror at the waterfront and on the cape flats.
Unlike the police they refuse to point a finger at any particular group. Fear permeates the people of the Cape flats. Many are afraid of speaking out for fear of retribution.
Dullah Omar, Minister of Justice: The majority of Muslim people in South Africa reject violence and they do not want to see this kind of terrorism in our country. Many Muslims have been victims of the same kind of violence and so we must not ascribe to Muslims and demonize Muslims for what a small group of people are doing.
Dr Ebrahim Moosa, Islamic Studies, UCT: By and large most Muslims are, do not agree, and do not support, either the violent rhetoric or the violent actions that may be perpetrated in their name. The problem is that none of them can dissociate themselves with those groups, because, again, of fear of intimidation. You find several instances of businessmen and people who are so scared of saying anything that they either keep silent or they would support and pay extortion money to whom so ever comes to them.
Dr Faried Essack, Muslim Theologian: What I find most distressing is that all the, the goodwill that Muslims had built up in the years of the struggle against apartheid; that so much of the good will is now being eroded by these, not senseless, but these callous and cowardly actions that we are seeing and regrettably being done in the name of..as I Muslim I am hurt. I am hurt, I am offended, and to some extent sometimes I feel paralysed. Ya, so I guess I am also angry.
Dullah Omar: The problem within Pagad has been that there’s always been a little group of people who’ve been in the leadership, who were never serious about co operating with government or co- operating with the police. There’s always been a group that had an agenda of its own. And I think that agenda will become clearer as time goes on.
Dr Ebrahim Moosa: I think it is important that South Africans know, because this can lead to much more serious consequences, that every Muslim, every body wearing a scarf or wearing a cap,
Dr Ebrahim Moosa: is not a terrorist.
On the 13 July a pipe bomb was thrown into Dr Moosa’s home. A UCT academic and former journalist, he had publicly criticised Pagad and other groups.
Neither Moosa nor the police have identified the attackers. However, he’s decided to leave South Africa for a year to teach in the United States.
Dr Mossa: This is in no way, is it any way that these criminals whoever they are who perpetrated.., will manage to silence me. And it should not be seen in that way, but I think I owe it to my family and my children, that they have some environment in which they can breathe again without the threat of gunmen or bombs and these things coming our way. I am extremely angry that I am forced by circumstances to leave the country of my birth in order to get a breather and to get out of the fray of things where there is violence all around us and is difficult for my family and children to recover in this environment. So I am very angry and I am very angry that the people I pay my tax dollars, tax Rands to that they cannot give me the necessary protection. Not that I want a policeman at my door, but I want a society in which I can move around freely and do my work in a way that I will not be intimidated and one doesn’t have to fear – neither criminals nor thought police.
Dr Essack: The Muslim community is not about bombs, it is not about terrorism, those are the exceptions within our community.
Chanting of prayers
Muslim Man: People think of Muslims of being terrorists and fundamentalists and things like that. We are not that type of people.
Muslim Man 2: In accordance with the Holy Koran as a Muslim you must abide by its laws and its principle. And as far as I am concerned Islam is a non violent religion.
Muslim Man: Violence can be a means of getting somewhere, and some people are going to make use of it.
Shiek Sa’Dullah Khan of the Gatesville Mosque also received anonymous threats. He too is leaving the country in a few weeks although he insists that he is not running away from the chaos and violence.
Shiek Sa’Dullah Khan: Though I must say that I am a bit stressed and disappointed about the situation we find ourselves in and the fact that the community is being held hostage by whoever the criminals might be.