PADLAC TAKES PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

Mitchells Plain anti-crime group Padlac has suspended its street
marches indefinitely, claiming 36 smoke grenades stolen from Denel
were to be used by "agents provocateurs" bent on distributing weapons
to escalate violence and discredit the group.

But Denel says the smoke grenades are not lethal.

"Our marches are put on hold. We've taken this step because we
suspect the Denel break-in could be part of a move to implicate us.
What is happening now is a very similar to what happened to Pagad in
the 1990s," said Fasieg Adams, leader of People Against Drugs, Liquor
and Crime.

And Cape Town Mayor and DA leader Helen Zille said on Sunday: "I
don't think we are getting all the information on this [theft].

"Just over a decade ago there was a similar theft at Denel. It was
the beginning of the takeover of Pagad. Are we witnessing the same
thing here? Even more important, who lies behind this and what is
their motive?"

In September, Zille claimed that intelligence sources had informed
her of plans to infiltrate Padlac, and that after Ramadaan ended this
week, weapons would be distributed to escalate violence. The claim
led to Premier Ebrahim Rasool setting up a probe into the matter.

Zille said on Sunday: "I have more information about moves to
discredit Padlac and smear me, but that's all I'm prepared to say."

Rasool's spokesperson, Shado Twala, said he would make "no other
comment" on matters related to Padlac until the outcome of a probe
into whether Zille had used public money from the city to support her
activities with Padlac.

"We don't want this issue played out in the media," said Twala,
referring to Rasool's earlier statement that it was "time to bring to
a close the unseemly exchanges through the media around Zille's
involvement with Padlac".

Makhaya Mani, spokesperson for MEC for Community Safety Leonard
Ramatlakane, said his office "would not comment on this". "We will
leave this to the police to investigate," said Mani.

Adams said on Sunday: "In the 1990s, an explosion in Atlantis came
shortly after a burglary at Denel. Fingers were pointed at Pagad...
Our concern is that should we continue marches, then agents
provocateurs which the mayor had warned us about could use them
[smoke grenades] to discredit us...

"Our members will confine themselves to bonfires [vigils outside drug
dens] and we'll adopt a wait-and-see attitude," Adams said.

He vowed Padlac would not be distracted from its objective to root
out gangs and drug dealers and said the organisation had taken
further steps to protect itself from being blamed for vigilante attacks.

Denel munitions chief executive Monwabisi Kalawe said the theft of 36
smoke grenades was discovered early on Thursday morning at an
ammunition plant near Swartklip. "Police are investigating," Kalawe said.