Pretoria - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation is attempting to establish whether any South Africans were among the victims of the coordinated wave of terror attacks in Paris, which reportedly claimed at least 140 lives on Friday night.
The department has been in contact with the South African embassy since the attacks and embassy staff and officials in France for the upcoming cop21 climate change conference are all apparently accounted for.
The department had reportedly not been informed about any South Africans being among the victims.
South Africa has added its voice to others around the world condemning the attacks, and President Jacob Zuma has sent a message of condolences to French President Francois Hollande.
SA condemned “this terrorist attack in the strongest terms possible”. “We absolutely condemn it in the strongest terms possible,” the department reportedly said. Terrorism had to be fought at all costs.
The Muslim Judicial Council SA has condemned the wave of terror attacks.
“It is with shock and sadness that we witness the horrific shootings and suicide bombings which resulted in the death of patrons and the wounding of several at the Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris,” MJC president Maulana Ihsaan Hendricks said.
The MJC conveyed its heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the French people, President Francois Hollande, and to all those who lost loved ones during the violent attacks.
“We condemn these senseless, violent, and callous acts of aggression against innocent civilians. Unscrupulous barbaric acts of vengeance has no place in society. All efforts towards bringing lasting peace and good relations should be pursued in order to ensure that revenge and tit-for-tat attacks do not become the order of the day.
“We hope and pray that the perpetrators will be held fully accountable for this heinous crime and that they will realise that violence does not lead to peace. Peace cannot be achieved through unjust, violent, indiscriminate killings but rather through justice, fairness, respect, tolerance, and good relations,” Hendricks said.
The DA also extended their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those killed in several terrorist attacks in Paris.
“The DA has extended its condolences to France’s Ambassador to South Africa Elisabeth Barbier,” DA spokesman Stevens Mokgalapa said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have lost loved ones to this barbaric terrorism.”
“We furthermore condemn in the strongest terms possible this indiscriminate and cowardly violence, and we hope that there will be justice for all those who lost their lives.
“The international community must work together going forward to ensure that terrorism – which threatens peace and takes the lives of innocent people – is stamped out wherever in the world it occurs,” Mokgalapa said.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Islamic State is a prime suspect according to security analysts.
ANA