After the terror attack in Manchester this week in which 22 people died, a quiet defiance has taken over the country.
This was the sense those with ties to South Africa – who now lived in the UK – got in the days following the brutal incident which took place at an Ariana Grande concert.
Press service Reuters reported that Britain had increased its security threat level to the highest levels on Wednesday.
They also reported that Prime Minister Theresa May said members of the armed forces would boost security at key sites and military personnel might be deployed at public events such as concerts and sports events.
But while SA Airways flights to the country remain unaffected and flights to Heathrow were running smoothly last night, according to its website, the Association of Southern Africa Travel Agents (Asata) has advised passengers to check airline websites for any special waiver policies that might apply to assist travellers following the attack.
Travis Lyle, who is from Durban but now lives in Manchester, said that while he could not speak for the whole of the UK, in Manchester the mood was "quite sombre".
"(People are) shocked, but also definitely resolute. People of all walks of life are standing together in defiance of those responsible for the bombing and there are many spontaneous expressions of solidarity, such as flowers, balloons and posters being put up with slogans directly related to Manchester such as 'Manchester, United' and 'Don't Look Back In Anger' (Oasis song title) and also a twist on the famous I (heart) NY, expressed as I (heart) MNC."
Darlene Buys, formerly of Durban, who now lives in Manchester and works at the Manchester airport, said she hadn’t left her house since the terror attack on Monday night. She is on holiday and said she was preparing to go into the centre of town for the first time on Friday.
“I’ve been following the whole terrible story on television and social media. I know that the people of Manchester are devastated and really sad that this could happen in their city. There is so much love for this city and its people here.”
Dean at Manchester Cathedral, also a former Durban resident, Rogers Govender said a prayer for the victims and their families.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, he said he and Manchester’s residents were “broken” about the tragedy.
“We pray for (their) healing. We pray for the victims who suffered both physical and psychological wounds as a result of being attacked without warning.”
Former Durban resident Evashun Pillay, who has been living in London for four months, said that the mood was tinged with “deep sadness” for the people who lost their lives in the attack.
“(But) one could almost sense from the swiftness and efficiency of the emergency services on the day and the ‘business as usual’ frame of mind the following day that the people are defiant.
“It is clear that generally, people do not want extremist ideologies to ruin the way they choose to live.”
Asata chief executive Otto de Vries said the association had not had any crucial feedback from members in terms of their clients wanting to cancel or rebook flights so it seemed it was “business as usual” in the travel industry.
“Our experience with SA travellers is that they are quite resilient in that aspect. We have seen that before, for example, in Paris and Brussels,” he said.
British Airways spokesperson William Smook said the airline had adopted flexible booking policies to assist people who had planned to travel to Manchester.
SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said there had been no announcements for the airline to introduce any additional security measures.
“We will co-operate and comply with any measures impacting on air transportation services or aviation if they are introduced.
There is currently no impact on our flights,” Tlali said.