SAPS ‘nowhere to be found’ during multi-million rand OR Tambo heist

CEO of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) Bongani Maseko has told parliament the SAPS were “nowhere to be found” at the time of the multi-million rand cash heist in March.

He was speaking at a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Transport on Wednesday.

 “There is an emerging threat at airports and it is called “insider threat”‚” he said.

 “It is mainly from people who work in the system and understand it. Valuable cargo is escorted by the SAPS and on that day (of the heist) they were nowhere to be found‚” Maseko said.

In a statement posted on parliament’s website‚ members of the portfolio committee asked for clarity on the heist during the presentation of Acsa’s Annual Performance Plan.

 The Times has reported how men dressed in SAPS uniforms and driving vehicles disguised to look like official police cars arrived at a high-security gate at the cargo section of the airport.

 They held security guards stationed there hostage while driving onto the tarmac where they intercepted a vehicle towing several crates – which contained around R200-million in foreign currency‚ which they broke open‚ making off with the cash.

 The Hawks investigators have in court papers maintained the number was only R20.7-million in local currency‚ which they submitted in opposition of bail applications of eight suspects they arrested shortly after the heist.

 All the suspects were released on bail by the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court‚ with Magistrate Amukelani Msimeki commenting during her judgment that the state had failed to convince her they had a strong case against the men.

 “We have raised a concern around policing at OR Tambo International. There are just too many loiterers at the airport‚ a phenomenon one could not find at any other major international airport. These people are not ideal for airport security and you do not get them at international airports‚” Maseko said.

He said the robbers knew exactly where to go‚ and which bin to take.

 “We have followed up with this as a lot of protocols were not followed. There is no way that this operation could be done in 45 minutes‚” he said.

As a direct result of the heist‚ Acsa would be sponsoring a trip to airports in Europe for SAPS members and security based at OR Tambo International‚ he revealed.

 He told the committee there were about 40‚000 people working at the airport daily‚ and the capacity of the state to vet them was “weak”.

“We have said to the police‚ treat everybody as a suspect and we were clear to them that this was an inside job‚” he said.

 He also explained that video materials were handed over to the Hawks‚ as well as the Portfolio Committee on Intelligence.

The police and security officers would be visiting airports such as London’s Heathrow and others that have experience in dealing with terror threats.

 “The trip will hopefully assist the police and the security personnel to come up with a new strategy that will realise improved policing‚” he said.