South Africa’s intelligence unit plans to respond to allegations that it was unprepared to deal with a plot to assassinate African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in 2012 contained in purported leaked cables cited by Al Jazeera.

“We had meant to give a statement last night, but it was delayed and will be issued some time today,” Brian Dube, spokesman for the South African State Security Agency, said by phone on Wednesday. “The statement from government will be a response to these developments around the leakage.”

Another allegedly leaked cable published on Al Jazeera’s website said a madrassa, or Islamic school, in Johannesburg trains South African muslim students and foreigners “to keep them ready for a possible Jihad against USA aggression in the Middle East.”

Iran provided religious training to South African students and its intelligence service focused on the arms and mining industries and nuclear technology, according to the January 2010 cable.

Secret intelligence documents leaked to Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit reveal that spies in Addis Ababa were alerted to a plot by “an unnamed state” to kill a top African Union diplomat.

Ethiopian agents later accused Sudan of involvement in the plan to assassinate African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who had previously served as South Africa’s foreign minister.
Dlamini-Zuma allegedly faced “an imminent threat” to her life in the Ethiopian capital which also hosts the headquarters of the African Union in October 2012, just days after she was appointed.

The documents show that South African and Ethiopian intelligence agencies had been unprepared for the threat, for which they blamed Sudan. The agencies admitted they did not have enough time to “neutralise the operation” or apprehend those involved.

The documents also describe how unarmed African Union (AU) bodyguards “slept in corridors for four days without food or water provided,” because the AU “did not arrange accommodation and resources for food”.

On October 22, a week after Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma became AUC chairperson, the Spy Cables show that South African intelligence headquarters received information about a possible assassination attempt.
It quickly relayed the details to the embassy in Addis Ababa, and that evening, the South African ambassador briefed Dlamini-Zuma, telling her “there might be some changes in the protection arrangements”.
He had expected an attack within the following two days.

South Africa’s top spy in Addis Ababa then called Ethiopia’s intelligence chief. He left a message, and an hour later got a call back.

Just before 10pm, Ethiopia’s spy boss was informed of the threat, and the two men agreed to beef up the South African diplomat’s security. Four extra bodyguards were sent to her hotel the following morning.