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Nkosazana needs protection services‚ Mbalula insists

Mbalula arrived at the Soshanguve Police Station on Sunday along with the SAPS chief of staff, Steve Tshabalala ahead of the briefing with regards to an incident involving the killing and wounding a police officer on Friday. Picture: Neo Goba
Mbalula arrived at the Soshanguve Police Station on Sunday along with the SAPS chief of staff, Steve Tshabalala ahead of the briefing with regards to an incident involving the killing and wounding a police officer on Friday. Picture: Neo Goba

Police Minster Fikile Mbalula insists that former African Union (AU) chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is still receiving taxpayer-funded special VIP protection based on security threats against her.

This is despite the government saying earlier this month that she would have to sacrifice this perk when her term ended as AU chairperson in January this year.

In South Africa‚ presidential protection services are usually extended to the serving president‚ deputy president and former presidents.

“The life of Nkosazana is being threatened. We do threat analysis on people and individuals whose life is threatened in society. We have done this in the past and we have been advised and received a report that says that there are issues of threat around her and that threat analysis is evaluated at all times‚” said Mbalula

The Sunday Times reported on April 2 that Dlamini-Zuma‚ an ex-Cabinet minister and former wife of President Jacob Zuma‚ had recently visited Luthuli House with a three-car blue-light escort and an armed security detail‚ a courtesy extended to her by the Department of International Relations and Co-operation‚ that was meant to expire on March 31.

“She enjoys the security and protection precisely because the threat we conducted around her‚ has told us that she [should] maintain that security.

“The incident of the last two weeks where six armed men charged at the place that she was with balaclavas explains the threat that we are talking about. We don’t need to disclose the nature of the threat but we can provide with the facts‚” added Mbalula.

Dlamini-Zuma returned from Addis Ababa‚ Egypt‚ on March 15 after a handover process to her successor‚ Moussa Faki Mahamat‚ who was elected in January.

 During her tenure at the commission‚ she was afforded the status and protocol of a head of state‚ which included a huge security contingent.

 

 

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