Johannesburg - Two fighter jets are still flying over the Sandton area, four days after the 15th BRICS Summit ended.
It is still unclear what the reason could be. Some people thought it to be a show of authority by the BRICS countries, and some South Africans criticised the activity, saying the country could be wasting resources by flying the fighter jets.
Last week, Sandton residents and those visiting the area saw and heardfighter jets. Two fighter jets were regularly seen and heard while flying over the Sandton Convention Centre.
At this stage, no official authority has been willing to give The Star official comment or details on the purpose of the fighter jets flying over the area.
There was a large presence of law enforcement agencies in and around the venue, where more than 50 heads of state gathered for the summit, which ended on Thursday.
Morena Mokoena, an employee at a retail shop in Sandton City, said at first he thought there was an attack because he is not used to the sound.
“I’m aware there is currently a BRICS summit taking place just outside my workplace, but the first time I heard the loud, unusual sound, I could not help but think there was some kind of an attack. During my lunch break while outside, I heard the sound. I looked up and spotted not one but two fighter jets,” said Mokoena.
Mpho Malapo, an employee at one of the corporate companies in Sandton, said the noise was irritating.
Some citizens took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their thoughts on the fighter jets.
X user Bo Mbinwane wrote: “SANDF drama. Every ten minutes fly pass! What fighter jets from which country are about to send missiles to Sandton? Drama. What intelligence product is making SAAF panic like this? Who is about to have an air assault in Sandton. So much money is being wasted flying Swedish jets!”
Another user, Mags Heystek, wrote: “Not every day you see a fighter jet flying over Sandton. Oh wait, this is the third day in a row.”
Other citizens went as far as criticising the government for wasting money on these expensive machines. However, it was not clear if they were from South Africa or not.
“Why are these fighter jets just flying around the Sandton skies? How much does it cost to keep them in the air? All this window dressing surely comes with a huge price tag,” said Bev Thrilla.
If the jets belong to the SANDF, it would be strange because it was recently reported that SANDF pilots were grounded due to non-airworthy aircraft and had instead been doing administration work.
SANDF spokesperson General Andries Mahapa was reached for comment but he failed to shed any light on the matter.
The Star