On the same night last week that four robbers shot an emergency officer at Pelindaba, West of Pretoria, another attempt was made to bypass the nuclear site’s security.
The site’s outer security perimeter was breached in both incidents, SA Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) chief executive Rob Adam disclosed today.
An emergency services officer was shot and wounded by four armed robbers who slipped through the electric fence on Thursday night.
At more or less the same time, a patrolling security officer spotted intruders at the western section of the Necsa site. Shots were fired and the intruders fled.
Adams said that the two attempts appeared to have been “co-ordinated” but there was no evidence to verify this as yet.
It was not clear what the motive for the breaches was, and all possibilities were being investigated, he said.
Necsa has suspended the security management, including the general manager of security, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Adam described the four robbers who shot and wounded emergency station commander Anton Gerber as “technically sophisticated criminals”.
“Modus operandi implied prior knowledge of electronic security systems. I’m not saying it is an inside job. I’m saying whoever did this, knows these systems very, very well.”
The four robbers gained access to the site by cutting the outside fence and slipping through the electric fence.
“Several security layers on the electric fence were de-activated,” Adam said.
The robbers were caught on the security cameras but the guards on duty apparently did not spot them.
The gang gained access to the emergency control room, where they accosted and shot Gerber before fleeing.
Adam said the nuclear facilities, including a research nuclear reactor on the site, were not compromised.
“Each facility has its own additional security measures which are designed to provide yet another mechanism of defence in depth in the even of such a breach.”
Necsa has offered R25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the four attackers and R10,000 for positively identifying any person involved in the incident.
Sapa