Johannesburg – In defiance of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s refusal to publicly disclose a list of national key points, the bid by civil society coalition Right2Know (R2K) to “crowd source” the list has turned up 84 of the estimated 180 to 200 sites.

It’s taken only a matter of days, according to R2K national spokesman Murray Hunter, who said the campaign was proving “extremely successful”.

Most of the key points identified so far are fairly obvious, such as buildings and installations belonging to the SABC, Sasol and Eskom as well as military installations and nuclear facilities. They also include major civilian airports, the Reserve Bank, Parliament and various presidential and ministerial residences.

Naval Command at Silvermine, where thieves regularly enter with ease to steal the copper cable, is also a key point.

More interesting is the Onderstepoort Biological Products Unit, in view of its history of secret research on the development of internationally prohibited germ and chemical warfare products during apartheid.

Hunter said the public had also come forward with information about key points that R2K did not know about. “These include the Vaal Dam, North West provincial legislature and the Sentech towers.

“I think a lot of citizens will be surprised to see private sector bodies on this list – such as BP, Engen and Shell refineries. Why should these companies, with such a shoddy record when it comes to corporate responsibility and transparency, be given such broad powers?”

R2K’s initiative was sparked after Mthethwa’s office said, in March, that disclosing the country’s national key points was a security risk.
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