‘Prioritise fishy break-in’
PARLIAMENT has called on the police to prioritise the break-in at the house of former director-general in the Department of Social Development, Zane Dangor.
Speaking to Radio 702 yesterday, Dangor said he had not been home at the time of the incident on Monday.
He said the men had forced their way into the house, and his family hid in one of the bedrooms.
“The guys went through the house, even looking into the cupboard, but they took nothing. Nothing was stolen but there were valuables lying around.”
Dangor said he viewed the incident as an “act of intimidation”.
The standing committee on public accounts and the portfolio committee on social development yesterday called for the police to get to the bottom of the break-in.
The chairman of Scopa, Themba Godi, said it was regrettable that a robbery had taken place at Dangor’s house.
He said the police needed to prioritise the matter. “What makes it curious is that people were threatened and nothing was taken. It is clear this was no ordinary robbery,” he said.
Dangor had stood up to people involved in corruption, adding that they would not allow former officials and other officials to be intimidated, Godi said.
“It is regrettable that the police are not investigating the crime. Police must investigate this and make it a priority. We strongly condemn this kind of behaviour because it will turn our country into a banana republic,” said Godi.
The chairwoman of the portfolio committee on social development, Zoleka Capa, said they were worried about what had happened, and that it was a very serious matter that needed to be addressed by the police.
“Now that he is no longer with the department, it will be difficult to provide security. However, a crime was committed and we suspect something is fishy there. We sympathise with him and his family, and we hope there will be extra security measures at his house,” Capa said.
The break-in comes a few days after a burglary at the office of the Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng.
Fifteen computers containing sensitive information about the country’s judges, including bank details, home addresses and other personal details, were stolen from the office.
Acting national commissioner Khomotso Phahlane has set up a crack team to investigate the burglary.
Many parties and civil society groups raised alarm bells after the robbery, saying it was an attempt to intimidate the judiciary.
The chief justice had just moved into the new offices last month.
It came just two days after a damning Constitutional Court ruling on the Department of Social Development and the way its minister, Bathabile Dlamini, had handled the social grants crisis.
Phahlane has said they did not rule out collusion in the burglary, and assured the country that the police would get to the bottom of the crime.
Phahlane’s spokesperson Brigadier Sally de Beer did not respond to questions on the robbery at Dangor’s house.
Another police spokesperson, Vish Naidoo, also failed to respond to messages sent to him.