Washington on Monday announced sanctions targeting members of an Islamic State cell operating in South Africa as well as companies they control, in retaliation for their support of the terrorist group.
The US' treasury department said the aim is to choke off support for the network and stem the expansion in the region.
In a statement, the department said it was targeting individuals linked to a man the US believes is leading an Islamic State cell in Durban.
The man was among those arrested in 2018 over an attack at a mosque in Verulam, outside Durban, and was also accused of planting explosive devices around Durban. The case was struck off the roll in 2020 amid delays from prosecutors, according to reports.
"Today, Treasury is targeting key individuals in ISIS's network in South Africa, as well as their business assets, who have played pivotal roles in enabling terrorism and other criminal activities in the region," said Brian E Nelson, Treasury's top terrorist finance watchdog.
The move blacklists four individuals and eight companies, freezing any US assets and denying them the ability to use the US financial system.
"The United States, as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, will continue to partner with South Africa to deny ISIS the ability to exploit the country's economy to raise and move funds to support the growth of ISIS affiliates and networks," Nelson said in a statement.
In October, the US released a warning advising that extremists were planning to attack large gatherings. News24 later reported that one of the events was an LGBTIQ+ pride march, and the other a comedy show. The pride march went ahead without any issues.