Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Imtiaz Fazel as the Inspector-General of Intelligence, following Parliament’s approval, for a tenure of five years from Tuesday, 1 November.
Last month, the National Assembly approved Fazel’s appointment after interviewing 12 out of 25 people who applied for the position.
In a statement, Ramaphosa’s office said the Intelligence Services Oversight Act mandates the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) to recommend a candidate for approval by at least two-thirds of the MPs.
“Following National Assembly approval, the name of the candidate is submitted to the president to consider the nominee for appointment as Inspector-General. The president has appointed Mr Fazel in accordance with Section 210(b) of the Constitution, read in conjunction with Section 7(1) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act of 1994,” the statement read.
The Inspector-General monitors and reviews the operations of the intelligence services, including the State Security Agency, the defence intelligence division of the South African National Defence Force and the Crime Intelligence division of the South African Police Service.
According to the Presidency, the appointment is a continuation of the attention Ramaphosa is giving to efforts to strengthen the capability of the state, including the security sector.
“Mr Fazel is a former chief operating officer – at the level of deputy director-general – in the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and a former deputy director-general in the office of the director-general of the State Security Agency. From 2015 to 2020, he served as deputy director-general for governance, risk and compliance in the Department of Public Works, following which he served as acting director-general in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure,” the statement read.
Fazel obtained a Master’s Degree in Security Studies from the University of Pretoria and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science degree from the University of South Africa.
He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of the Western Cape and is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Ramaphosa wished Fazel well in his new role.
In June, the committee announced that it had nominated former anti-apartheid activist Reverend Frank Chikane, but he didn’t get the National Assembly’s nod.
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