Nathi Mthethwa must account for al-Qaeda cover-up

It has been reported today that South Africa was, and indeed may still be, home to an alleged al-Qaeda operation. This operation was under investigation for almost ten years, according to the report, but was "abruptly" halted in 2010 without any explanation except that this order came "from the top". No arrests have ever been made (see Daily Maverick article).

The Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, and the Crime Intelligence unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS) must urgently brief Parliament on these serious allegations and inform us as to why there has been no action and who gave the order to stop the investigation.

I will therefore be writing to the acting Chairperson of the Police Portfolio Committee, Annelize van Wyk, to request that the acting Head of Crime Intelligence, Chris Ngcobo and Minister Mthethwa brief the committee on this situation as a matter of urgency.

South Africans deserve an explanation as to what happened and why the investigation was stopped. If there was no terrorist threat then Crime Intelligence should be able to explain their reasoning for halting their investigation.

According to the Daily Maverick report, shortly after 9/11, the Crimes Against the State (CATS) specialised unit of the SAPS and the State Security Agency started an investigation called Operation Kanu which was tasked with looking into any extremist Islamic terrorist activities in South Africa. The operation reportedly involved extensive surveillance of a South African family and their associates and followed their movements for almost ten years.

Both the United States and British intelligence services have reportedly asked South Africa to take action on terrorist threats. South Africa is under an obligation to act against any such threats as a signatory of the United Nations resolution against international terrorism. Yet it seems no action was taken against this threat prior to the FIFA World Cup, or since.

These are extremely serious allegations with both national security and international relations implications and cannot be ignored. Minister Mthethwa must appear in Parliament to provide clarity on this situation.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, May 13 2013

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