Durban - The DA suspects espionage might be at play in the theft of laptops belonging to members.
KwaZulu-Natal DA MPL Francois Rodgers and another staff member lost their laptops and other equipment in separate theft incidents in Kokstad within a month.
Rodgers said the home of a party staff member was broken into on Saturday, and a laptop, a hard drive and a diary from the staff member’s briefcase were stolen.
“What makes this even more sinister is the fact that in the very same room was another briefcase containing a laptop and tablet, yet nothing else was removed from the home,” he said.
Rodgers said the thieves had gained entry to the house through the back door, while the member and his family were asleep.
He said the Saturday break-in followed a theft out of his own vehicle a month ago.
“The first occurrence was coincidentally on the very same day that three DA councillors resigned and defected to the ANC.
“The culprit was apprehended the following day by SAPS, but as yet there is no sign of the stolen equipment,” Rodgers said.
He added: “This leads one to believe that the robbery was orchestrated for one purpose, and that was the theft of DA equipment and information.”
While Rodgers could not point fingers at anyone, he felt a sinister motive could not be ruled out in the two thefts of their equipment.
“We start thinking there is something sinister, but I hope this is a purely criminal element.
“It would be a sad day if we stooped to those levels,” he said, referring to possible political espionage.
Kokstad police spokesman, Dumisani Ncongo, confirmed only the theft out of Rodgers’s vehicle.
Ncongo said the rate of housebreakings had recently increased in Kokstad.
“There has been an increase in housebreakings, especially, on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as during weekdays,” he said.
Ncongo could not comment on the weekend theft at the DA staff member’s house because the case number was not immediately available.
Daily News