Inkatha Freedom Party Statement By:
MR VELAPHI NDLOVU MP
IFP SAFETY AND SECURITY SPOKESPERSON

9 November 2007

The Inkatha Freedom Party would like to express our shock with the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Autham Stevens, who was allegedly shot dead by an air force candidate officer, on Thursday afternoon at the Thaba Tshwane base near Pretoria.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with Lieutenant Colonel Stevens's family.  

We also pray that Lieutenant Colonel Isak Karan, who was also shot and is now in a critical condition in hospital, will make a full recovery.  

This is the second shooting incident this year at an air-force base. Earlier this year Colonel Grobbie Grobbelaar, who was based at Kroonstad, died from his injuries after a junior officer shot him. 

We are extremely concerned about these incidences of crime and the IFP feels that urgent attention and intervention are needed to secure the safety of air-force officers at bases of training.  

It has been reported that students at the Thaba Tshwane air-force base are upset because despite a ban on carrying firearms at the base, the gunman managed to reach his instructors' offices with a weapon without being checked or stopped.  

This clearly highlights the fact that there are not adequate safety measures in place. Newspaper reports also reveal that air-force training officers are feeling increasingly victimised, scared and even fear for their lives if they discipline students or even just try and enforce standard rules. 

We therefore call on the Minister of Defence and the Minister of Safety and Security to launch an immediate investigation into this incident, before South Africa is faced with more bloodbaths at air-force bases. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mr Velaphi Ndlovu MP: 083 625 0803
Liezl van der Merwe: 083 611 7470