EC officials’ computers stolen
The Daily Dispatch has established that eight departments have been targeted since last December. In the past three weeks alone, thieves have hit three departments.
It has become so serious that a report prepared for the Dispatch by the Bhisho police was sent to SAPS provincial commissioner Mpumelelo Landu in Zwelitsha.
Even the handling of media queries has been taken away from the area spokesperson and given to the provincial office.
Now a task team consisting of units from intelligence, detectives and crime prevention, has been established to investigate.
Superintendent Sibongile Soci said 14 cases of theft had been opened at the Bhisho police station.
She declined to specify how many items had been stolen but said apart from computers and laptops, they included a projector, digital camera, video camera, cellphones, DVD player and cash.
She said State Information and Technology Agency (Sita) and provincial Departments of Local Government, Social Development, Health, Agriculture, Treasury and Economic Affairs, were targeted.
According to Soci, the suspects gained entry into the offices by forcing open doors.
“At this stage,” she said, “it is very difficult to say whether the laptops or computers were stolen for the information stored in them or any other reason, as these computers and laptops were stolen from various departments.”
In one recent case, Social Development’s head of department Denver Webb had his laptop stolen.
Spokesperson Gcobani Maswana said: “Officials would go to meetings and leave their offices closed but, on their return, they would find their laptops missing.”
Maswana said the laptops, especially Webb’s, had contained “sensitive” and “critical” information.
“We were able to retrieve the information because information in them was backed-up,” he said.
On April 8, Sita reported three of their machines had been stolen, including the laptop of a senior accounting manager.
Last year a laptop belonging to the property management section of Public Works was stolen, as well as one belonging to the Education Department which had electronic versions of forensic investigations on it.
Soci said departments should beef up their security.
“A meeting will be set up between the police and the various government departments to discuss the issue,” she added.
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