Chief Justice office robbery: Justice Committee cancel all meetings this week

22 March 2017

The DA is stunned and angered that all meetings of the Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, especially the one scheduled for tomorrow, when the Office of the Chief Justice was scheduled to appear, have been cancelled at the last minute.

It seems that some on the Justice Committee would prefer to stick their heads in the sand rather than urgently discuss the deeply troubling break-in at the office of the Chief Justice, which can only be viewed as an attack on the Judiciary.

This is simply unacceptable and the DA will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services, Dr Mathole Motshekga, to again request that when the committee next sits, the Ministers of Police, State Security and Justice urgently appear to account for the robbery.

The DA notes the arrests following the break-in at the Office of the Chief Justice announced this morning.

The burglary is highly suspicious, and can only be viewed as an act of intimidation and political criminality.

It is imperative for the computers to be recovered, the alleged “kingpin” arrested and the motive behind the burglary established. The men arrested were clearly acting on instructions from higher up and the crime intelligence division of SAPS need to efficiently and effectively get to the bottom of who is behind this attack on the judiciary.

The National Police Commissioner, Khomotso Phahlane, this morning announced that 3 suspects have been arrested in connection with the burglary at the Office of the Chief Justice on Saturday where 15 computers containing personal information of South Africa’s 250 judges were stolen.

Phahlane further announced that false identification documents, unlicensed firearms and what is believed to be the getaway vehicle have been seized.

However, there are some troubling aspects of the “arrest” process that need to be further examined.

The DA believes that an act of intimidation in these circumstances is an attack on the very foundations of our democracy.

We will continue to push for Parliament to exercise its oversight function and for the Committee on Justice to summon the will to deal decisively with this brazen attack.

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach, DA Shadow Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 22 March 2017