DA won’t back Burgess

11 March 2016

Yesterday evening the ANC Chief Whip revived the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence’s report that recommends that former ANC MP and author of the ‘Secrecy Bill’, Cecil Burgess be appointed as our new Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI).

Next week’s scheduled vote will be the ANC’s third attempt to have the report and recommendation passed, and the DA will do everything possible to block what will inevitably be the deployment of yet another ANC cadre mandated to aide President Zuma’s continued state capture campaign.

The ANC’s insistance on Burgess and refusal to restart the recommendation process and work with the opposition to find a suitable candidate whom all parties can support has compromised the accountability and oversight of our intelligence services. It has meant that South Africa has been without an IGI for the past year. In that time we have witnessed an unprecedented amount of State Security Agency (SSA) activity in the public sphere - at protests and even on the Parliamentary precinct. 

It is high time Parliament finalises the IGI appointment and ensures that it is done in transparent manner that leads to the appointment of an impartial candidate who will prioritise the principles of Constitution and keep our intelligence services accountable.

In an effort to ensure this the DA has also suggested that Parliament consider amending the relevant legislation to provide that the IGI be a retired judge who would serve the office impartially and independently. This would also prohibit some of the back-alley lobbying, cadre deployment and political interference we have witnessed within the IGI’s office.

As the last line of defence between the rule of law and the rogue spooks lurking in Crime Intelligence, Defence Intelligence and the SSA, the IGI is required to be impartial, independent and to perform their functions without fear or favour. 

Burgess, however, has a proven track record of not being impartial or independent, and in fact has performed his duties in the past with favour, and indeed fervour, for the ruling party and President Jacob Zuma, and as such, is simply an unacceptable candidate.

Statement issued by John Steenhuisen MP, Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance, 11 March 2016