Bold leadership needed to bring about change

THE destruction and looting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal should bring home the extent to which our country’s security has been compromised.

Infighting in the ANC is no longer an internal issue. It has spilt on to our streets in the most violent way possible.

For a while now our intelligence services have been marred by infighting.

The State Security Agency has stated that it had forwarded intelligence to the security services. Was this actionable, specific intelligence?

Did it meet the criteria of the 5 Ws of intelligence, who, what, why, where, when – and specifically how the who were going to execute their plan?

If any of the aforementioned were absent it would have left the security services with very little to act on.

Police Minister Bheki Cele’s claim that the saving of a hospital from being burnt shows that intelligence works – after the looting and destruction of shopping malls and warehouses – is unbelievable.

There needs to be an investigation into the nature of the intelligence that was received and if it was information that could have been acted upon in a timely manner within existing security structures.

If any shortcomings are found an overhaul of the State Security Agency is long overdue.

The inequality and poverty in South Africa also played its part in fuelling the looting and destruction.

Existing poverty has been aggravated by restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 which has made people desperate.

Family meetings and eloquent speeches are not going to fix the internal ANC divisions, compromised intelligence service and poverty in the country.

Bold and decisive leadership to bring about change is needed. GHALIED GEDULDT |