Navy base robbery: Urgent answers needed on how a National Key Point was breached?

27 July 2016 - 14:41 By TMG Digital

How did robbers break into the armament depot at the home of South Africa’s Navy in Simon’s Town – a National Key Point? That what Dan Plato‚ Western Cape Minister of Community Safety‚ is demanding to know from Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.The South African National Defence Forces’ Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga issued a terse statement late on Tuesday night‚ saying: “On the weekend of the 23rd of July 2016‚ there was a break-in at the SA Navy Armament Depot which resulted in the loss of various types of military equipment.“An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances surrounding this incident.“The South African Navy views this incident in an extremely serious light and all efforts are being made to bring the perpetrators to book‚” it read.Plato said on Wednesday that we was “greatly concerned” by the burglary.“Urgent clarity is required from Minister Mapisa-Nqakula as to how the Naval Base‚ a National Key Point‚ could have been robbed‚” demanded Plato.“More specifically‚ I am asking her how would-be criminals could gain access to the premises‚ gain access to six weapon storages‚ walk out with numerous weapons and ammunition‚ without any of these breaches in security being detected?”He said it was not the first time that a military base had been robbed of weapons.“In August 2015‚ the Tempe Military Base was robbed due to‚ among others‚ security fences‚ cameras and security lights around the arms warehouse not being up to standard‚ as found by a military board of inquiry.”Media reports earlier this year claimed that confidential information about the naval base‚ including where firearms and ammunition were stored‚ was being sold to gangsters in the Western Cape.Plato voiced concern that the stolen weapons could end up in the hands of criminals or gangsters. ..

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