Apparent security breaches and shortcomings at 93 Ammunition Depot are reasons for concern when the presence of what AfriForum calls “foreign militias” in South Africa is taken into account.
The Centurion headquartered civil society organisation, via its community safety spokesman Jacques Broodryk, raised the issue by way of a letter to Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Angie Motshekga.
Elaborating on what he terms “serious security failures” at the Northern Cape ammunition depot, administered by the Department of Defence (DoD) along with the School of Munitions that shares the Jan Kempdorp property with it, Broodryk has it reports received point to a security fence in “severe disrepair”. This, when coupled to out of order lights and trespassing incidents, should be investigated and remedial action taken.
He wants Minister Motshekga to supply answers to, among others, the deployment of permanent guards and the readiness of “the military’s fire service” to respond to emergencies as well as the types and quantities of ammunition stored at 93 Ammunition Depot.
Broodryk has it the Jan Kempdorp community have “voiced concerns” about the poor security. He sees immediate action as the solution, pointing out “a military facility of such strategic importance should be safeguarded with the highest level of security and the current situation represents a severe and unacceptable failure”.
“We are deeply concerned about the safety of ammunition stored at the depot, especially in light of recent security breaches. Bear in mind that foreign militias have recently been revealed to have a presence in South Africa, it certainly paints an alarming picture.
“The community deserves answers and more importantly, they deserve action. We cannot afford to wait until an incident occurs. The time to act is now,” he said in a statement.
AfriForum urges the Ministry of Defence to take “swift corrective measures” including repairing the security fence, ensuring proper lighting and guard patrols and verifying the safety of ammunition stored at the depot. “These steps,” he adds, “are critical to ensuring the security of both the depot and the surrounding community”.
