Spy vs. spy: Minister must show us the resignation letter

I have today written to the Minister of State Security, Siyabonga Cwele, requesting him to fully explain what is going on in his Department. In particular, I have asked the Minister to furnish us with National Intelligence Agency head Gibson Njenje's resignation letter - a document that Njenje denies the existence of (see City Press report).

I have copied in the Inspector-General of Intelligence Adv Faith Radebe to keep her abreast of developments and so that she can intervene if necessary. If Mr Njenje has indeed resigned, he must go quietly so that the Department can get on with its job of protecting state security. If Mr Njenje has not resigned, then the Minister is lying and it is he who should resign.

Either way, this impasse will be resolved if the Minister simply produces a copy of the resignation letter.

In my letter to the Minister, I will also ask him to explain allegations in some newspaper reports that there has been illegal surveillance of Ministers and that the ANC Youth League has "unfettered access to state security information." Furthermore, allegations that VIP security was ordered by the Minister for his wife Cheryl Cwele during her drug trafficking trail also require investigation.

We cannot allow the intelligence services to become a tool of factional interests of the ANC as it heads towards its Conference in Mangaung next year. The Inspector-General must keep close tabs on this to ensure that Minister Cwele and others in his department put the security of the people of South Africa first.

Statement issued by Dirk Stubbe, DA Shadow Minister of State Security, September 11 2011

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