JSCI must investigate spy purge in SSA

05 September 2014

I will request the Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), Connie September, to conduct a full-blown investigation into the purge of three senior intelligence officers from the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee and the State Security Agency.

Today the Mail & Guardian reported that Mr Dennis Dlomo (Coordinator of Intelligence: National Intelligence Coordinating Committee), Mr Simon Ntombela (Director: Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency) and Ms Nozuko Bam (Deputy Director: Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency) have been redeployed to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) (see here).

The Minister of State Security, David Mahlobo, made the extraordinary statement that there was "nothing untoward" about the fact that the decision to conduct the purge was a party decision taken by the ANC's shadowy Sub-Committee on Peace and Stability.

The Minister's statement is, frankly, terrifying and is clear evidence of the politicisation of intelligence. The Minister seems to have forgotten that his own intelligence policy, the White Paper on Intelligence [WP (H) - October 1994], states clearly that one of the key "principles of intelligence" is the "principle of political neutrality".

It is worrying that, while experienced intelligence officers such as Mr Dennis Dlomo are being purged, controversial intelligence officers, such as Mr Thulani Dhlomo, are being retained.  Mr Thulani Dhlomo's was appointed to the General Manager: Special Operations at the State Security Agency (SSA) despite serious allegations of corruption against him. Remarkably he was subsequently promoted and is currently the Deputy Director: Counter Intelligence at the State Security Agency. 

I will, therefore, request the Chairperson of the JSCI, Connie September, to: investigate the purge of Mr Dennis Dlomo (Coordinator of Intelligence: National Intelligence Coordinating Committee), Mr Simon Ntombela (Director: Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency) and Ms Nozuko Bam (Deputy Director: Domestic Branch of the State Security Agency) from the national intelligence structure; and on completion of the investigation to produce a special report, in terms of Section 6 (2) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act (No. 40 of 1994), to be tabled in Parliament.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of State Security, September 5 2014

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter