Questions persist about the circumstances of an early morning armed robbery on the N3 near Heidelberg involving South Africa's transport minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
Yesterday, Collen Msibi, spokesperson for the Department of Transport (DoT), continued to deflect attempts to obtain more information about an incident that appears to be a common hijacking but remains lacking in detail.
When asked why the minister's brother, whose identity is concealed, was travelling with her in an official vehicle, Msibi couldn't provide clarity on whether such a practice is allowed.
He said: "I can't answer that. The DPSA (Department of Public Service and Administration) is the custodian of the ministerial handbook."
During a radio interview, Msibi also stated that it is the responsibility of the SA Police Service (SAPS) to investigate allegations of the robbery being "an inside job."
He said: "I can't answer that. It's up to SAPS and their investigations to look into allegations."
In an interview with Freight News at a logistics event where Chikunga was supposed to be a keynote speaker, Msibi mentioned that very little is known about Monday's robbery.
He said: "There’s nothing untoward about what happened.
“The minister lives in KwaZulu-Natal and had probably gone home for the weekend. She was probably on her way to work (in Pretoria) when it happened."
When asked why a senior government official wasn't travelling in a convoy of at least two cars, which would have provided her with more protection when her vehicle's tires were punctured, Msibi explained that it depends on the security detail.
He added” "All we know is that she was involved in a spike hijacking when they were attacked."
However, the hooded assailants did not take Chikunga's car, and they also left her iPad which was used to seek help after the robbers had ransacked the occupants' personal belongings, including R200 that the minister had on her person, a laptop, and two police-issue pistols taken from the SA Police Service bodyguards.
Since the incident on Monday became known on Wednesday, October 8, it has been reported that Chikunga prayed and pleaded with the assailants.
When she was asked to surrender her wedding ring, she reportedly persuaded the robbers to leave it, as it's all she has from her late husband.
What appears to be negligence on the part of Chikunga's "protectors," the term used by the minister to refer to her bodyguards when she spoke to a parliamentary portfolio committee about the incident, has been criticized by several security service professionals.
Private investigator Mike Bolhuis and former police officer and crime expert Dr Johann Burger both mentioned that the actions of the bodyguards, who failed to safeguard a crime scene involving a minister, raise serious questions about training, vigilance, and the necessary capacity and capability to protect a government executive.
SAPS Brigadier Athlenda Mathe has confirmed that a manhunt for the assailants in the Vosloorus area is still ongoing.
