The roadside ambush in a restive region, which killed two of Togo's soccer delegation, inevitably brought questions over security at the world's biggest single-sport event, on a continent all too often tarnished by images of chaos.
But police, organisers and security experts said that, while any major sporting event could attract publicity-seeking action by extremists, South Africa and Angola were totally different.
"South Africa has a very effective security apparatus, probably the most effective in southern Africa," said Sajjan Gohel, international security director of a London think tank, the Asia-Pacific Foundation.
"But all it requires is one particular terrorist event that could create huge disruption to the tournament itself ... It would be totally naive to assume South Africa would be either immune or exempt from it."
Partly because such dangers are taken so seriously, security planning began in 2004. Police said the incident that marred the African Cup of Nations in Angola was no reason to review plans.
"We have got our plans in place, both pro-active and reactive plans," said Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo, the national police spokesman for the World Cup.
South Africa has hosted other major sporting events successfully, including the Cricket World Cup in 2003 and the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
At least 13 billion rand ($1.8 billion) has been spent on new stadiums and infrastructure for the month-long World Cup, which begins on June 11. The security budget has not been made public but 52,000 officers will be on duty and police stations in high crime areas will be reinforced.
Crime
South Africa does not suffer from political violence like Angola's Cabinda enclave, where separatists who have been fighting a low-level war for three decades opened fire on the Togolese team bus.
But crime is a major concern for World Cup organisers. South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of murder and rape, with about 50 people killed violently every day, slightly more than in the United States, which has six times the population.
Analysts said sufficient measures had been taken to ensure the safety of teams, and the tens of thousands of expected fans.
"We have been following police preparations for the World Cup very closely and we are very impressed with the security measures," said Jakkie Cilliers, executive director of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies.
Some teams -- including the United States and England -- are also seen as potential targets for Islamic militant groups out to strike at the West.
South Africa has not been a target of extremist attacks so far. Since the end of apartheid in 1994, it has pursued a strongly independent diplomatic stance and has been outspoken in criticising Western actions in the Middle East and elsewhere.
But last September, U.S. government facilities in South Africa were closed for several days due to a security threat, which local media said came from an al Qaeda splinter group.
Other threats may come from local militant organisations like Pagad, an Islamic anti-drugs and -gangsterism group. Several Pagad members have been convicted of public violence following a spate of bombings in the early 2000s.
But South African intelligence bodies are keeping a close watch on possible threats.
"The intelligence community is throwing everything into the battle to prevent any purposeful attacks in South Africa during the World Cup," Cilliers said.
Reuters
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