Break-ins inside jobs, Mbalula says after NPA hit
A RECENT string of break-ins at key justice and government institutions must be inside jobs‚ Police Minister Fikile Mbalula said after the latest burglary – at the Pretoria offices of the National Prosecuting Authority.
Two laptops belonging to prosecutors were stolen, along with hard drives, in the early hours of yesterday – just a week after a break-in at the Hawks’ office in Silverton.
In March, burglars broke into the Office of the Chief Justice in Midrand‚ stealing several computers containing personal information on the country’s judges.
“Criminals who undertake these operations of breaking into offices are not criminals from outside‚ they are people who are working inside those offices,” Mbalula said yesterday.
“It’s an inside job for one reason or the other – it’s either corruption or otherwise they want to destroy evidence, there is no doubt about it.”
He was briefing the media after a visit to OR Tambo International Airport‚ which has also recently been targeted by criminals.
“It has got nothing to do with politics whatsoever‚ it has everything to do with greed and corruption and we are following them,” Mbalula said.
“Even at the Hawks‚ the people didn’t steal the files or the dockets‚ they stole stuff that belongs to HR [human resources] and finance.
“So it’s an inside job‚ no doubt about that‚” he said.
Criminologists believe the breakins carry the hallmarks of sinister attempts to derail South Africa’s justice and law enforcement systems.
In the early hours of yesterday, an unknown group of people broke into the Church Square offices of the NPA, bypassing security surveillance systems and guards‚ before overriding fingerprint identification locks to gain access to two prosecutors’ offices.
The building boasts the latest security technology with a myriad of systems which enable the constant monitoring of people arriving and leaving, according to NPA sources.
One source said it was just too coincidental that it occurred less than a week after the Hawks’ headquarters were burgled in a similar fashion.
“One has to ask what was on the computers taken from the Hawks that would see criminals suddenly wanting computers in our offices.”
The computers stolen from the Hawks’ offices had information on staff and their employment.
The appointments were done while disgraced Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza was still in his position.
He was fired earlier this year by Mbalula‚ with his replacement‚ Yolisa Matakata‚ ordering an investigation into the appointments.
Unisa criminologist Professor Anthony Minnaar said the burglaries were clearly very deliberate attempts to derail certain cases against certain criminals or corrupt politicians.
“It’s too coincidental that these burglaries have occurred in the first place and are very targeted in terms of specific offices being broken into and certain laptops‚ hard drives and flash drives being taken.”
He questioned whether the necessary backups were being done.
“Stealing the laptops means the thieves know that these computers are probably not being backed up and
‘ It has got nothing to do with politics, everything to do with greed and corruption
... one has to ask why this information is not being backed up.”
He said the thefts were a very deliberate attempt to destroy information and evidence and undermine the rule of law.
Gareth Newham, of the Institute for Security Studies, said the burglaries were deeply concerning‚ especially as they were occurring at institutions charged with keeping citizens safe.
“They are focused attacks with the thieves clearly looking for very specific information.” Newham said whoever had stolen the computers was highly knowledgeable‚ especially as they were able to bypass a myriad of security systems undetected.
“What is worrying is that this is not the first such theft. What makes it even more worrying is that in none of these burglaries have we had a successful prosecution and conviction.
“Clearly these are highly focused and organised criminals.”
He said it was concerning that the country’s intelligence services seemed unable to detect and put a stop to these burglaries.
The information could be used for a variety of purposes‚ including undermining prosecutors and police investigators through increased intimidation of those assigned to the cases.
Office of the Chief Justice spokesman Nathi Mncube declined to comment on the progress of the investigation into their burglary.
Gauteng police spokesman Captain Kay Makhubela confirmed the robbery at the NPA yesterday.