Minister told to clean rot out of state security
New State Security Minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba has been asked to clean up her department, which has been under fire in recent months.
Former director-general Arthur Fraser, who has been moved to correctional services, was at the centre of the department’s credibility crisis.
President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed during question time in Parliament on Tuesday: “I have ... instructed the minister of state security to take ... steps to attend to all governance and operational challenges confronting the agency and to work to restore the public’s confidence in this critical institution.”
As part of the clean-up, Ramaphosa said he would establish a review panel to look at whether the State Security Agency and the intelligence services needed to be restructured.
The DA has signalled its intention to approach the Constitutional Court to have Fraser’s appointment as commissioner of correctional services set aside with immediate effect.
Fraser, while still spy boss, was locked in a vicious dispute with inspector-general of intelligence Setlhomamaru Dintwe.
It was at the height of that messy dispute that Ramaphosa moved Fraser.
Dintwe’s office is investigating a complaint against Fraser lodged by the DA in terms of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act. The opposition party wants Dintwe to investigate Fraser’s involvement in the Principle Agent Network programme.
It has been alleged members of the network “were tasked to conduct illegal activities without securing proper authorisation”.
Fraser is said to have established the network when he was serving as the deputy director-general of the National Intelligence Agency.
Asked by DA leader Mmusi Maimane why Fraser had been shifted to another department instead of being suspended — as was the case with South African Revenue Service commissioner Tom Moyane — Ramaphosa said the matter was sensitive and invoked the sub-judice rule.
“The matter is before our courts. Much as I would have wanted to engage Maimane I have found that I have to respond to papers they [the DA] have lodged in court … we will be able to provide that answer through the court papers … as they say the matter is subjudice,” said Ramaphosa.
Explaining the sensitivity of the case involving Fraser and his decision to move rather than suspend him, Ramaphosa said: “We had to take a number of considerations into account due to the sensitive nature of our intelligence service and I decided it’s best to move Fraser … so that the review panel can get into the depths of the issues ... and ... [see] if there is further action to be taken ...”