A leading South African bishop has warned of a mounting presence and increased financial activity of individuals linked to the Islamic State in his country, as well as government inaction to counter the threat.
In his opening address at the August 5-9, 2024, plenary assembly of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, president of the conference, said the Islamic State is on the move, and authorities had better wake up.
“Concerning is the recent news about the presence and financial operations of individuals linked to ISIS in South Africa,” Bishop Sipuka said. “I have not heard much reaction from the government about this; perhaps it deems it insignificant.”
“The association of ISIS with the destabilization of countries like Mozambique and Nigeria raises concern because it brings a lot of suffering among ordinary people, as evidenced in Cabo Del Gardo in Mozambique,” the bishop added.
Bishop Sipuka also cited worrying reports of a discovery that a site in Limpopo has been used as a military camp, presumably by the jihadists.
According to international tracking of terrorist activities, the Islamic State uses South Africa as a financial hub for transferring funds around the continent.
In March 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department designated certain individuals and organizations operating in South Africa as intermediaries in the financing operations of the Islamic State, noted the Fides News Agency, the official information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The report referenced a Durban-based individual who funded jihadist activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through funds obtained through criminal activities (extortion, kidnapping for ransom).
Another person of interest operated from Cape Town, where he trained Islamist recruits to carry out robberies.
In March, the Counter-ISIS Finance Group (CIFG) — an international body that the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Italy lead — released a report stating that South Africa-based banks have become channels for Islamic State money transfers.
“ISIS has used South Africa-based banks to transfer funds from the GDP to ISIS in Central Africa,” the report declares.
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