State Security Agency (SSA) hiding behind and exploiting classified information provision
27 January 2021
The testimony given by the acting Director-general of the State Security Agency (SSA), Loyiso Jafta, before the Zondo Commission made it clear that the Agency is misusing secret state funds on a large scale.
Under the smokescreen that state security may be jeopardised, questions posed to the SSA in Parliament are answered evasively and that has created a fertile breeding ground for corruption as has now become evident in the Zondo Commission's inquiry.
This raises the question of what function the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence is fulfilling in Parliament and what kind of oversight role the Committee has over the SSA.
The Committee's members are required to obtain special secret clearance, which means that all sensitive information should be safely divulged to the Committee. However, the recent revelations create the impression that the Committee is failing to do its job.