Africa-Press – South-Africa. JOHANNESBURG – The DA has formally written to State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, requesting her to shutdown the State Security Agency (SSA).
This comes after a damaging week at the State Capture Inquiry, where commission chair Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo heard from several witnesses, including Sydney Mufamadi who was the chairperson of the high level review panel on the SSA.
Mafumadi detailed how the spy agency misused billions of taxpayer funds by allegedly bankrolling former president Jacob Zuma and also recruited members of the judiciary to secure favourable court outcomes for the former president.
The commission also heard that the spy agency had infiltrated the media, made false allegations against the former heads of the Hawks and the Independent Police Investigating Directorate, spent over R80 million to accommodate Zuma’s wife Nompumelelo MaNtuli, and also spent money in a bid to repair Zuma’s reputation locally and internationally.
The DA said it was time for the establishment of a new, independent, efficient and transparent state security agency.
The DA’s spokesperson on state security, Dianne Kohler Barnard, said in her letter to Dlodlo that the minister should institute a process to disband the spy agency.
“The State Security Agency’s integrity and independence as a constitutional body has been severely compromised by these revelations. In its current form, it is clear that the agency has become a liability to national security as it has morphed into a vehicle to advance political agendas.
“The loss of public confidence and trust in SSA will have far reaching consequences on South Africa’s national security unless urgent steps are taken to work towards a new and re-imagined intelligence service.
“Allegations made by Mufamadi at the Zondo Commission are of a grave and serious nature requiring, not only an introspection among South Africa’s intelligence community, but a concerted reform process that will insulate the intelligence service from future interference by power hungry political elites. South Africans were appalled to learn that SAA had become an arena for such unseemly crimes,” Kohler Barnard said in her letter.
She called on the minister to implement the recommendations of Mufamadi’s report and said the silence from Parliament was deafening.
“In the face of complete radio silence from Parliament as the treasonous looting of South Africa via the SSA is exposed daily at the Zondo Commission, the DA has written to Dlodlo asking that she drives the total shutdown of the agency. She must ensure that every single person linked to the agency is examined under a microscope.
“These acts of theft, as revealed one-by-one every day this week, we believe have clearly revealed an attempt to overthrow the government through unlawful means: treason.“
Kohler Barnard said the spy agency was used to protect the former president and said the revelations that emerged at the commission, including revelations that R9 billion was looted to keep Zuma in power were staggering.
“The DA has laid criminal charges, on numerous occasions, but those cases were swept under the Jacob Zuma-carpet. This agency had but one aim, to protect Zuma.
“We knew it was bad, but few could have predicted that they looted over R9 billion to keep him in power and living in luxury.
“There is no possibility of saving the SSA in its current format. Those nameless, faceless officials are still there, and may well still be looting at levels never before seen in South Africa,” said Kohler Barnard.
She called on the minister to implement the findings of the high panel report.
Earlier this week, the EFF called for the prosecution of all those implicated in wrongdoing.
IFP chief whip Narend Singh,said the revelations were alarming and that they would raise the matter in Parliament.
“Well, the Zondo Commission is already demanding accountability and we will add to that,” said Singh.
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