The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Mpumalanga Provincial MEC of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Jackie Macie, and his department to thoroughly investigate the burglary at the Provincial Police Headquarters in Mbombela this week.
The important question here would be: how can ordinary citizens trust the police to protect them from criminals if they cannot protect their own headquarters from burglary?
This morning, Mpumalanga woke up to reports that six computers were stolen during a burglary that took place this week at the Provincial Police Headquarters. It was also reported that the burglary happened just days after misconduct charges were laid against two senior police officials at the headquarters.
This breach of security at the police headquarters in Mbombela must have led to many uncomfortable questions for the authorities, not least about the apparent security failures in a building that should be protected like a National Key Point. If people can easily break-in into police headquarters, then how ordinary citizens trust them to protect their houses which are not guarded by the police?
The DA also suspects that this was not necessarily a break-in, but a walk-in by the senior police officials who are facing the charges of misconduct. Surely, we don’t need a rocket scientist to figure out that this is an inside job aimed at making evidence disappear. That building has security cameras, so they must look at the footage.
Nonetheless, the DA is pleased that a case of housebreaking and theft was opened at the Nelspruit Police Station for investigation. They must make it clear that such criminal acts, trying to undermine the authority of the State, will never be tolerated in this Province.