The burglary at the South African State State Security Agency in Pretoria and the reported theft of R50million in foreign currency must raise questions about the level of security at such institutions.
“The premises of the State Security Agency is supposed to be one of the most secure in the country because it deals with intelligence gathering on domestic and international matters. For its own security measures to be breached so easily must be reason for grave concern. What is even more damning is that the closed circuit camera surveillance system proved to be inadequate in providing clear pictures of the burglars. This raises questions around just how secure is the country’s intelligence system which houses very sensitive information that could have international repercussions”, said IFP National Chairman, Mr Blessed Gwala MPL.
“If such is the porous state of security exists at an institution like the State Security Agency, it is no wonder then that police stations, court precincts, municipal offices and other government institutions are burgled and items such as firearms, criminal case dockets and other highly sensitive and valuable material are stolen. Such burglaries lead to high profile cases involving serious crimes being thrown out of court and criminals walk free. Again we find that a call is made for ordinary South Africans to provide information in a criminal case. I am confident that South Africans will co-operate but it is up to security agencies to instil confidence in communities. It is time that this government took the security of our nation seriously”, concluded Mr Blessed Gwala.
