‘Very dangerous precedent’: SSA no-show over SOE employee vetting raises eyebrows

The State Security Agency’s (SSA) decision to skip a meeting has raised eyebrows for Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa).

The SSA was scheduled to appear before Scopa on Wednesday, and update the committee on the progress made on the vetting of officials at state-owned enterprises (SOEs), particular with Eskom.

However, the committee was informed at the eleventh hour that the SSA, which was moved into the Presidency in 2021, would brief the Standing Committee on Intelligence in a closed meeting instead. 

The vetting process is a result of a 2014 Cabinet resolution which directs that there must be background checks on all supply chain management (SCM) officials as a measure to prevent crime, fraud and mismanagement of state funds.

‘Dangerous precedent’

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa condemned SSA’s refusal – which was based on a legal opinion – to appear before the committee.

“I think we need to draw a line in the sand,” he said.

Hlengwa said he failed to understand why SSA did not want to brief the committee on “basic matters”, adding that the agency was “stretching it too far”.

“I think we’ll have to construct a response which really calls on this entity to appear before us. The value of secrecy in terms of intelligence, that there are certain things of confidentiality, is understood to a large part.”

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The Scopa chair said that he was of the view that SSA’s level of “Stalingrad secrecy” will “set into motion a very dangerous precedent” if the committee allowed such actions without consequences since it was “a repeat offence”.

He also pointed out that the condemnation of SSA’s actions must work parallel with a process to ensure that the information that Scopa wants is received.

“We can’t have people who are not vetted continuing in this spaces handling billions and billions of Rand, contracts upon contracts and they are not vetted.

“If SSA is no longer an enabler to the fight against crime then why are they there? And I reiterate that we are working with the parameters… We are not touching to their reporting format insofar as Parliament is concern.”

‘Collision cause’

Hlengwa further said it was a bit suspicious SSA was refusing to account to Scopa.

“This is highly frustrating actually because SSA really is going to operate in the shadows… The vetting [processing] ultimately become public in any case… if Mr X doesn’t qualify [and] his vetting comes back adverse then they shouldn’t hold a position. How are we supposed to exercise oversight?

“And as I’m saying this, these points were made extensively to the Presidency and SSA, but I think this action that they are choosing is in collision cause with public accountability, scrutiny and transparency,” he continued.

Another Scopa member, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP – Alf Lees highlighted that SSA has refused to be held accountable regarding their finances.

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Meanwhile, Hlengwa said he would reach out to Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele regarding this matter.

The committee, the Scopa chair added, will also consult Parliament’s legal services department for a legal opinion on SSA’s correspondence.

“The SSA and Presidency must supply us with the legal opinions upon which their decision and outlook has been based and then we will take it from there. They have been appearing before the committee on this matter and now all of a sudden there’s change so let’s get that information.”

The committee is scheduled to meet next week.