Holomisa laughs off coup fears — ‘That’s not a coup, that’s twitter talk’

Holomisa

Pretoria – Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Bantu Holomisa, has dismissed growing fears of a coup d’état in South Africa, saying the country’s security forces are more than capable of defending the nation against any serious threat.

Addressing journalists at 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria on Thursday, Holomisa appeared unfazed by recent statements from the security cluster warning of a “potential risk” of a coup.

While not directly disputing the concerns raised by State Security Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, he urged South Africans not to panic over unverified information.

“I don’t want to get involved in the reports of what comes from the Cabinet because they are privy to better briefings,” Holomisa said.

“If there is anyone who has such plans, I think he or she is advised to stop that because it has been exposed. A coup is not discussed on social media – that’s not a coup.”

He added: “We are not expecting conventional warfare in South Africa. The major threat I foresee is civil disobedience, where we are asked by the police to assist and protect them.

“In that case, we will be ready to assist police, but as far as fighting an outside war with outside players or countries, that is not in the offing.”

Holomisa stressed that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) remains vigilant and fully prepared to deal with any attempts to destabilise the country.

While presenting the State Security Agency’s 2025 budget on Tuesday, Ntshavheni confirmed that the security cluster is working proactively to prevent any uprisings like the July 2021 unrest.

“There is a potential risk of a coup d’état. We have identified it and put measures to mitigate against it. So, that’s why we say to South Africans that there will not be anyone attempting to do a coup in South Africa.

“In the last few days or in the last few weeks, there has not been anyone attempting to do a coup in South Africa…. Not that there are no people planning, they are, but we are continuously monitoring them and making sure that we deal with those,” Ntshavheni said.

She added: “I would like to assure South Africans that the security cluster is solid, the security cluster is able to do its work. There are men and women in various capacities who continue to work as patriots for the protection of this country and there are men and women in the intelligence services or intelligence communities who continue to work to make sure that this country is safe.

“There are men and women in the defence, in the police services who work for the greater benefit of this country. So any challenges that confront us, we are a resilient nation. We have always found solutions.”

Ntshavheni also dismissed rumours of possible unrest linked to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of corruption allegations involving senior police officials in KwaZulu-Natal.

She emphasised that national security remains a top priority, with active efforts to address internal threats and clean up unethical practices within the intelligence services.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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