The Truth about the Spy Saga 

Paul Scheepers is a SAPS officer who was recently accused of unlawfully spying on the ANC Western Cape leadership, under the instruction of Helen Zille. In a situation such as this, one can only evaluate the facts in a hope to establish the truth. Zille has gone at length to try and paint this as a desperate attempt of the ANC to create a fictitious scandal. Zille knows that she has power over majority of the media who stand in favour of her and until now many people still remain unaware of the facts which remain as the crux of the spy saga. 

There is no disputing that Scheepers is due in court for alleged unlawful surveillance, fraud and breaking electronic communication laws. Scheepers is alleged to have conducted surveillance for which he did not obtain a court order. Scheepers has been running his own “crime intelligence agency” (with him as the only covert operative) known as Eagle Eye Solution Technologies. Scheepers allegedly also did not register this company with SARS, nor has it been registered with the Private Security Regulatory Authority. Scheepers (categorically) does not have the security clearance needed to spy on people by hacking into their phones and downloading their voice and sms records.

The fact that Scheepers had the capacity to illegally spy on the ANC is also unquestionable. In the court affidavit, Scheepers states that one of the items confiscated from him on his arrest was a “Grabber”. The Grabber is a machine that costs between R25-R50 million and gives full infiltration to any phone within a certain area- the Grabber can access up to 10 000 phones at a time and a phone can be infiltrated from the mere search of a phone number. To use the equipment, as Scheepers allegedly did without a court order, is, in my view, illegal to the highest level.

There are only four Grabbers in the country of which the equipment is owned by the HAWKS, National Intelligence Agency and the South African Secret Service, whom have legal permission to operate such high surveillance equipment, and even then a court order must be obtained to spy on an individual and it must be for reasons relating to the investigation of criminal activity. In 2014, one of those Grabbers went missing, which was documented thoroughly as no one knew who would have stolen the machine from the HAWKS.

The ANC knew that they were being spied on because highly personal details of high-ranking members were of knowledge to the DA leadership, and when they found out that Scheepers had been hired by the DA for over R115,800.00 and had a Grabber in his possession, then the facts became abundantly clear. The DA couldn’t have had information of the private lives of the high-ranking ANC officials without having knowledge or access to private phone records of senior ANC officials.

Then we have the question of the Zille’s fictitious claim that she had nothing to do with Scheepers and that her department had “only” hired him to debug cell phones. Confidential records show that the DA paid Scheepers R115,800.00. Do you really believe a claim so exorbitant that it costs R115,800.00 to debug 10-12 cell phones? The fact of the matter is that Scheepers was clearly on the payroll of the DA government.

In the court affidavit, Scheepers job description was that of a “Covert Operative”- please be reminded the fact that this is an individual that is supposed to be a SAPS official. What is even more irrefutable is that during that period Scheepers was seen as having access to state facilities. How can a SAPS officer take on the role of a "covert operative", whilst setting up an intelligence agency that apparently receives over a hundred grand, whilst the company is allegedly not even registered with SARS or the Private Security Regulatory Authority?

Yet, Zille claims the allegations are fallacies. It needs to be questioned how Zille can try and eliminate herself from these claims by blaming it on her office, when she was the Premier at that time. If the DA had Scheepers on their payroll then how can she abdicate herself from that? Furthermore, in April 2015 Zille suddenly stepped down from DA leadership, which many people felt was unforeseen and it didn’t make sense at the time because it happened so fast and seemingly without reason.

What prompted the Premier to suddenly step down as DA leader in April (in what seemed like a knee jerk reaction)? If Zille knew that SAPS was investigating Scheepers (which presumably she would have had knowledge of as Premier), then she would also know that her employment of him was against the law, which means she would know that it would leave her liable to be impeached as Premier.

Is it a co-incidence then, that two days before Mmusi Maimane was elected, Scheepers was arrested? Was Zille trying to quickly protect herself and lessen her fall from grace by removing herself from the position as Premier, so that if found guilty that she could soften the blow? 

Chelsea Lotz is a political activist.