The department of employment & labour says security guards were on site when its office in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, was broken into last Wednesday.

The department announced last week it has temporarily suspended services after important equipment and other assets, including computers, were stolen on January 19. 

“The department is unable to say when services will resume. However, the intention is to resume as soon as possible. The incident has been reported to the police.”

Provincial spokesperson Mishack Magakwe told TimesLIVE on Monday the department employs a private security company and two security personnel were on site at the time of the incident.

He said it remained unclear how burglars gained entry to the premises.

“At this point, any information about how the burglars gained entry is purely speculative. However, the wall has been damaged, the fence has been cut and the doors have been broken.”  

The department had opened a case with police, but Magakwe said there were no leads yet.

He added that though computers were stolen, clients’ sensitive information remained safe on the department’s servers. 

“Nothing was lost. All information is stored on the server which remained untouched.”

The department urged clients who require services relating to Covid-19 Ters applications, the Unemployment Insurance Fund and employment services, among others, to use online services or visit other branches.