State Security Agency head Thembi Majola quits

The head of the State Security Agency (SSA) Thembisile Cheryl Majola has resigned, just over a year after she was appointed.

Majola was supposed to be at the helm of the agency for a period of three years, the Presidency said at the time.

Resignation

Majola’s resignation was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya on Wednesday morning.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa has accepted the resignation of State Security Agency (SSA) director-general ambassador Thembisile Cheryl Majola. Ambassador Majola commenced her role at SSA on 1 March 2022 and her resignation, by mutual consent with the president, will be effective as of 30 November 2023.”

“The president has expressed his appreciation to ambassador Majola for her contribution to the reform and rebuilding of the State Security Agency,” said Magwenya.

He added that Ramaphosa wished Majola well in all her “future endeavours”. 

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Profile

Majola also served as a former deputy minister of energy and was South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia, and Guinea Bissau.

She was appointed after the departure of embattled former director-general Arthur Fraser.

In 2018, the SSA had two acting heads, Loyiso Jafta and ambassador Gab Msimanga.

“Her extensive experience in government, international relations and security makes her well placed to lead the reform and rebuilding of the State Security Agency,” Ramaphosa said at the time.

SSA

In January, The Conversation reported the SSA was a broken institution.

The article said the SSA was meant to provide intelligence to forewarn the country about national security threats.

“Powerful individuals aligned to former president Jacob Zuma, presumably at his behest, repurposed the institution to help him maintain his grip on power. It was one of many institutions that were repurposed for improper personal or political gain during his tenure (May 2009 to February 2018): a process that has become known as state capture.”

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