The office of the Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has confirmed that 11 suspects have been identified in connection with the break-in at the military base in Lyttelton, south of Pretoria.
The SANDF earlier confirmed that a number of suspects have been taken in for questioning after a consignment of war weapons was stolen from the Lyttelton Tek Base.
The department has described the incident as an act of cowardice. Mapisa-Nqakula says she is in constant consultations with the Chief of the South African National Defence Force on the matter to ensure that the citizens are and feel safe.
ANC condemns the robbery
The ANC Study Group in Parliament has condemned the attack and has called for an independent investigation to be conducted by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.
The group says it is concerning that such weapons are on the streets, posing a serious risk to the public.
The SANDF says the incident seems to have been an inside job and has taken in a number of suspects for questioning as investigations continue.
‘Outrageous’
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the South African National Defence Force has let South Africans down after criminals allegedly managed to enter the Lyttelton SANDF base in Pretoria and got away with R4 automatic rifles manufactured for extreme warfare.
DA Spokesperson on Defence Kobus Marais says the DA will submit various questions to Minister Defence and Military Veterans to get to the bottom of this incident.
Marais has described as outrageous that the criminals could even gain access to enter what is suppose to be a highly protected military facility and grinding open a volt where the ammunition is kept.
Marais says this is a reminder of earlier incidents where weapons were stolen at the 9SAI military base outside Cape Town.
