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JOHANNESBURG - Five South African policemen will be suspended after CCTV footage caught them bungling the investigation of a break-in at a government building, a senior official said today.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula announced the suspensions at a news briefing after the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Wednesday showed images of the burglary and of policemen compromising the crime scene.
Closed circuit television cameras recorded two intruders as they stole 50,000 rand ($9668) from a Department of Home Affairs building near the capital Pretoria. Then they filmed two officers examining items of potential evidence without gloves.
State broadcasters said Nqakula was outraged after the incident, which could be embarrassing for the government.
South Africa is under pressure to tackle graft and ease one of the world's worst crime rates before the country hosts the soccer World Cup in 2010.
Local newspapers almost daily run stories of gruesome crimes, including murders, rapes and carjackings, which have caused a public outcry and alarmed the business community in Africa's largest economy.
- REUTERS
