Security breaches on the increase as manhunt shuffles along following assault on Pretoria SAPS building

(Photo: Leila Dougan)

By Samane Jnr Marks

20 Jul 2023

Armed criminals involved in an attack on the police logistical building on Sunday evening, are still at large. The 12 suspects were travelling in a white Ford Ranger bakkie, after a confrontation that led to a constable being shot and wounded.

Police are still on the hunt for 12 men involved in a shootout and attempted break in at a logistical building of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Pretoria on Sunday night.

A police constable was shot when he and other officers intercepted the group of gunmen attempting to access the building, dressed in police uniforms. A police statement issued on Monday, 17 July, said a manhunt for 12 is underway.

There have been numerous security breaches in SAPs buildings in recent years.

Following this latest incident, police announced that SAPS had budgeted at least R25-million this fiscal year “for security upgrades at all its buildings”.

According to national SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, during the incident on Sunday 16 July, the group of 12 men, who were travelling in a white Ford Ranger bakkie, first tried overpowering security guards at the building before trying to enter it.

Investigation conducted

“For security considerations, the SAPS is not permitted to discuss what is maintained or stored at the building,” she said.

According to the police report, the patrolling police officers were able to “foil” the attack, though it appears that no suspects were arrested at the time.

National police commissioner Lieutenant-General Fannie Masemola praised the officers while visiting the wounded policeman in hospital on Monday.

Requesting an update, Daily Maverick sent Mathe follow-up questions about the incident to determine if there had been any arrests during the week. On Thursday, 20 July he said: “No update, will communicate when there is.”

Mathe said investigations were ongoing.

South African Police Service, Pretoria police attack The South African Police Service corner off a crime scene, on 3 May, 2021. (Photo: Leila Dougan)

Cop buildings repeatedly targeted

Previously, Daily Maverick reported that in August 2021, the month after an attempted insurrection following former president Jacob Zuma’s jailing, Parliament had heard of “a threat against police stations and members, which involved the specific objective of obtaining firearms and ammunition”.

It was also reported that between April 2021 and January last year, five stations were targeted.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Crooks gunning for cop firearms a national security threat — outgoing police boss Khehla Sitole

Two of these were in the Eastern Cape, one was in the Northern Cape and another was in the Western Cape.

An attack on a police station in Limpopo also led to other crimes. On the evening of 22 November 2021, a group of armed suspects stormed the community service centre at the Malamulele Police Station in Limpopo.

Four police officers were overpowered and disarmed while a typist had been locked in a patrol vehicle that was parked outside the station.

In yet another incident between 5 and 8 November 2021, the police announced that cocaine worth R200-million was stolen from the Hawks Serious Organised Crime offices in Port Shepstone.

“One of the safes in the drive, which were used to store exhibits, was tempered with,” said Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo at the time.

Read more in Daily Maverick: How corruption and security failures opened the doors (and smashed the windows) of SA’s state buildings to criminals

Those incidents, paired with what happened last Sunday night in Pretoria at the Saps logistical building, seem to suggest that the state continues to battle to safeguard SAPS premises.

Political sparring

In relation to Sunday’s incident, the DA’s Shadow Deputy Minister of Police, Ockert Terblanche, pointed a finger of blame at Police Minister Bheki Cele.

“What makes this attack particularly alarming is that it is a culmination of Bheki Cele’s inability to manage and oversee a competent police force.

“Instances such as the assault by Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s VIP blue light entourage, who remain unapprehended even after 15 days despite clear evidence, highlight the extent of the problem,” he said.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Unlicensed to kill: police corruption, inefficiencies and outdated systems hobble SA gun control

Terblanche continued, “such treatment has allowed criminal syndicates to infiltrate every aspect of our lives, from coal and mining to Eskom, water tankers, trucking, construction, and even weapons mafias.”

Read more in Daily Maverick: Calls to rein in VIP convoys mount as charges filed against Mashatile’s protection unit

He added: “The assault on the SAPS building is a symptom of the underlying problem, and with an inept Minister in charge, criminals will only grow more audacious.”

Police Ministry Spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba dismissed the criticism when contacted to respond. DM

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South Africa

Investigation conducted

Cop buildings repeatedly targeted

Political sparring