Security at the talk by Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the controversial former president of Zambia, included a bomb squad and a VIP unit dispatched from Bisho. Despite formidable appearances, the VIP unit was quite disorganised.
Security at the talk by Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the controversial former president of Zambia, included a bomb squad and a VIP unit dispatched from Bisho. Despite formidable appearances, the VIP unit was quite disorganised.
“I didn’t even know they were coming and neither did anyone else. They just arrived and said it was their job to make sure that the place was safe," said Lorna Meaton, the Rhodes Facilities Officer. "They took over.” She wasn’t impressed with their efficiency, and was sceptical about their ability to deal with large crowds.
Proceedings started 20 minutes late due the substantial turnout. An x-ray machine was set up to monitor for suspicious belongings, but a Grocott’s Mail reporter noticed a bag pass by on the screen without any of the VIP unit glancing at it. The unit declined to comment when this was queried.
If audience members had any anthrax in their cameras, the Grahamstown Explosives Unit’s rottweiler, who is called Beckham, would have found it, said Warrant Officer Hank Coetzer. Coetzer and Beckham had swept the venue before Kaunda’s presentation, and no-one and nothing else was allowed to enter without going through the x-ray machine. The Explosives Unit then left security in the hands of the Campus Protection Unit and the Bisho Protectorate.
There were no security incidents at the talk.
