SSA requires major ‘overhaul’ after political abuses

The general feeling among security and policing analysts and opposition politicians is that the pre-Jacob Zuma era intelligence set-up be restored, but with tighter oversight mechanism to prevent political abuses.

They suggested that after a long period when the disgraced State Security Agency (SSA) was abused for an ANC factional agenda, a new intelligence dispensation was needed.

Various people suggested a non-partisan intelligence body that will serve the interests of the nation and not those of the state, a political party or an individual.

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Security expert and senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies Prof Jakkie Cilliers said there was nothing wrong with the original structure.

“The problem remains ANC factionalism and abuse of the agencies. We need to ensure the institutions of oversight like parliament work,” Cilliers said.

He said the White Paper recommended how the intelligence structures should be established and how they should be governed.

As the high-level review panel on SSA chaired by Dr Sydney Mufamadi reported, the collapse of the structures into the SSA was a deviation from the original plan.

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The evidence presented by various witnesses to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture showed when Zuma came to power in 2009, he collapsed the National Intelligence Agency, SA Secret Service, SA National Academy of Intelligence, National Communications Centre and Communications Security.

He established the SSA which was remodelled and turned into a tool to protect him and fight his factional political battles.

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokeswoman for state security Dianne Kohler Barnard called for Minister Ayanda Dlodlo to totally shut down the SSA and investigate all its members.

The DA suggested the SSA be replaced by an independent, efficient and transparent state security agency.

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