McBride must rise above politics in new State Security job

16 July 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa approving the appointment of Mr Robert McBride as the Director for the Foreign Branch of the State Security Agency (SSA).

McBride has now filled a post that has lain dormant for years while the man who allegedly orchestrated the Spy Tapes saga, Arthur Frazer, headed up the infamous PAN project through which millions were allegedly siphoned through the Agency.

Though McBride had a poor start as head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), and while much transformation is still needed, he did manage to build it up to become a more credible institution than under his predecessors.

The High Level Report into the SSA laid bare the corruption and catastrophic political interference during the Zuma years. The DA hopes that McBride will rise above the politics and do the job he and the Agency is actually supposed to do.

Indeed, McBride’s appointment is surprising, considering the detestation often shown towards him by the ANC members of Parliament’ Portfolio Committee on Police a year ago when discussing whether or not to extend his tenure as the IPID head. One would have thought he would be the very last candidate in the world that would be considered to fill this post.

Issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard, DA Shadow Minister of State Security, 16 July 2020