MyPE

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Attempted theft leads to temporary closure of PE Saaf Museum

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Two factors are behind the current temporary closure of the SA Air Force (SAAF) Museum at AFB Zwartkop as well as its satellites at Air Force Bases Port Elizabeth and Ysterplaat.

Museum Officer Commanding Lieutenant Colonel Mike O’Connor said an attempt to break into and remove items from a display case in one of the exhibit hangars at Zwartkop was “luckily” nipped in the bud.

“Although nothing was taken it alerted me to the fact that I currently do not have sufficient personnel on base to perform all the necessary duties, one of which is keeping an eye open for people wanting ‘souvenirs’ of their visit to Zwartkop.

“By far the majority of personnel at all three SAAF Museum centres are Reserve Force members who receive a limited allocation of days to work a year and, in a number of instances, these days have now been used up,” O’Connor said.

He has started the process of obtaining the necessary days to allow Reserve Force members to return to work at Zwartkop, Ysterplaat and Port Elizabeth and is confident all three military aviation history centres will be open by next Friday “at the latest”.

The closure announcement was made on wednesday via a Facebook posting which stated: “Please be informed that the SAAF Museum (ZWK, PE and Ysterplaat) is closed to civilians as of today until further notice”.

READ MORE: Attempted theft behind SAAF Museum closure.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.