State Security: Burglaries undermine state institutions
State Security Minister David Mahlobo says the high-profile burglaries at the offices National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks undermine the credibility of these institutions.
Mahlobo was part of a meeting with Police Minister Fikile Mbalula at the O.R. Tambo International Airport on Monday.
He believes the break-ins could be an "inside job".
"You can do certain things and deal with the integrity of the people who work in those offices. Remember these are the offices that actually give credibility to the state," he says.
Mahlobo says incidents such as these will create doubt as to whether these institutions are able to fight crime or protect its own assets.
"You go in there and steal important information but ultimately the confidence that people will have in our own criminal justice system - that we can't even secure our own infrastructure or information is a very serious indictment," he says.
He says that no one must work in these critical institutions without being properly vetted.