Cape Town — South African intelligence officials are accusing the Rwandan Embassy in Pretoria of involvement in an attempt to assassinate an exiled Rwandan general living in Johannesburg, a South African newspaper reports.

The New Age of Johannesburg said on Monday that South Africa's State Security Agency was considering pushing for the closure of the embassy after Pretoria expelled three Rwandan diplomats last week.

The newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying that a raid by the Hawks, a South African law enforcement agency, was alleged to have linked one of the expelled diplomats to an "attempted hit" on former army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa.

"A highly placed source said South African intelligence officials were tipped off that an attack on Nyamwasa’s home last Monday was being orchestrated using resources of the Rwandan embassy," New Age reported. "Hawks officials acted promptly, moving Nyamwasa to a secret location to ensure his safety."

The alleged assassination attempt has brought South African-Rwandan diplomatic relations, already strained over the killing of an exiled Rwandan leader last year, to a new low.

In retaliation for Pretoria's expulsions, Rwanda on Friday expelled six South African diplomats from Kigali.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo accused South Africa on her Twitter account of "harbouring dissidents responsible for terrorist attacks in Rwanda".