It was further reported that thieves stole valuables, including three laptops and some two blackberry smart-phones. Thieves, we all said. It is all very easy for us to dismiss this as just another robbery, after all thieves break into our houses everyday and take away valuables such as laptops and mobile phones. These are items that sell quickly on the market and thieves will want to steal items that they can dispose off easily. Indeed, this could have been the work of ordinary thieves who target everyone. We shall all wait as the police carry out their investigations and hopeful they will find the thieves and help the nation establish the motive. We cannot, however, rule out the possibility that this could be the work of the security agents in their nefarious activities to fight those that they have identified as the enemies of the state. Rre Motswaledi says the computers had all the crucial information about his new party and he believes that the theft was the work of someone who wants to destabilise his party. To him the motive is very clear that the thief knew what they wanted; they wanted crucial information on the BMD and they picked the very items that house the BMD granary. Motswaledi does not seem to buy the idea that this could be the work of an ordinary thief looking for a way to make a quick buck. If that were the motive, reasons Motswaledi, there were a lot of items, which are equally disposable that were left untouched. There are even reports that soon after the robbery some suspicious looking vehicles - suspected to be used by some state security agents - were seen in the area. We do not know, but we have no right to dismiss him. This is a charge that cannot be dismissed lightly. We believe our security agents should come out and ensure that this case is investigated thoroughly not only to exonerate themselves but also to try and assure the public that our security does not dabble in politics and political espionage. There is a disturbing perception that our security agents are used in partisan political agendas and unfortunately our security organs have done very little to show us that they are not involved in political infiltration of the opposition as suspected. It would seem the whole training of our security forces, seems to be misdirected, as some seem to believe that the interests of the ruling elite are necessarily those of the state. There is a vast difference between the state and the ruling elite and this, we believe, ought to be impressed upon some of our security operatives. The Motswaledi incident will have a chilling effect on the work of other human rights defenders in the country and that we believe is the reason why this matter must be treated with the urgency it deserves. We are not saying leaders' safety should be placed highly over that of ordinary citizens, but in a democracy like ours, it becomes worrisome when legally registered bodies accuse security agents of destabilisation.
Today's thought
"They might plant some stuff in your cars."
- Gomolemo Motswaledi
