Spy boss shunted to prisons
THE SACP has called for tough action to be taken against former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser for withdrawing the security clearance of the inspector-general for intelligence, Setlhomamaru Dintwe.
Tomorrow, Dintwe is heading to the North Gauteng High Court for an urgent application asking for the protection of his office from interference as he probes corruption and abuse of intelligence services at the SSA.
Yesterday, Fraser was abruptly moved to the Department of Correctional Services as commissioner.
The spokesperson for the Department of State Security, Brian Dube, said: “A decision has been taken to transfer the director-general of the SSA, Mr Arthur Fraser, to the Department of Correctional Services. The transfer follows consultation between President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Minister of State Security, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, and Mr Fraser on the suitable location of the director-general. The transfer has been agreed upon with Mr Fraser and will be effective immediately.”
Loyiso Jafta has been appointed acting directorgeneral at the SSA.
Last week Fraser, who is implicated in the allegations levelled by the SACP and the DA, withdrew Dintwe’s security clearance, saying he could not be trusted with state secrets. This saw Dintwe unable to access information.
The move by Fraser intensified calls for his removal by Ramaphosa following accusations that he was sabotaging investigations.
In its complaint last year, the SACP alleged its leadership was “invasively” being followed by spies after they became vocal against state capture.
SACP national spokesperson Alex Mashilo said action needed to be taken against Fraser, including an investigation into his decision to withdraw Dintwe’s security clearance.
“It has to be looked at because it almost brought the investigation (against Fraser) to an end. That conduct left much to be desired, because you have a corruption investigation into abuse of intelligence services taking place and you are implicated. What he simply did was to disarm the investigator by withdrawing the security clearance,” he said.
According to claims in Jacques Pauw’s book The President’s Keepers, Fraser had previously created and headed a “parallel intelligence network where agents sent intelligence to him instead of the National Intelligence Agency”.
Last week, Letsatsi-Duba expressed concern over the spat between Fraser and Dintwe, saying it was bound to affect the discharge of their constitutional mandates.
The DA yesterday welcomed Fraser’s removal from the SSA, but slammed the decision to move him to another department instead of firing him.
DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said the party had written to Ramaphosa asking him to suspend Fraser pending the investigation into the damning allegations against him.
“While we welcome Fraser’s removal from the SSA, it is completely outrageous that President Ramaphosa has decided to merely transfer him to a different government department in light of the ongoing investigation into the damning criminal allegations against him. The president’s decision to transfer Fraser is nothing short of a continuation of the disgraceful trend started by former president Jacob Zuma where patently corrupt and criminal officials escape liability for their actions.”
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha said: “Mr Fraser is a seasoned civil servant who has served the government over many years.”