High profile burglaries require action not evasion

Yet another break-in at a ‘secure’ building of a key office of the justice system has been confirmed. Given the deafening silence from Minister of Police, Fikile Mbalula, and the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shaun Abrahams, the DA will request that they be summoned before a joint sitting of the Police and Justice Portfolio Committees to brief on what progress, if any, has been made in investigating these seemingly co-ordinated and extremely worrying incidents.

The National Prosecuting Authority today confirmed that there was a break in at the Magistrates’ Court in Pretoria last Thursday, and that the office of the Chief Public Prosecutor, Mr Matric Luphondo, was the office targeted.

The fact that this particular break-in and breach of security was kept quiet for nearly a week raises even more concern.

The security breach comes on the back of several such breaches, at the Helen Suzman Foundation, at the Parliamentary offices of the SABC, at the Office of the Chief Justice, the Offices of the Hawks in Silverton and the Offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions in North Gauteng.

No credible progress has been made in the investigation of any of these incidents, no credible arrests have been made.  This despite the fact that the break-ins have occurred at buildings containing very sensitive information, with very good security and guarded 24/7.

This is clearly orchestrated to gather information to intimidate the judiciary, the press and those members of civil society who are deemed to oppose the current regime.

It is now time that the public and Parliament is given a full and proper briefing as to what exactly is being done to find the culprits and to put a stop to any further burglaries.

Statement issued by Glynnis Breytenbach MP, Shadow Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 26 July 2017