Dear Editor
The DA was pleased to learn that President Jacob Zuma finally appointed Dr Setlhomamaru Isaac Dintwe as the new Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI), ten days after we called on him to hurry up and approve the candidate endorsed by the National Assembly in November 2016.
This brings to an end to an excruciating two year wait to end the vacancy of a position created by section 210(b) of the Constitution and tasked with the oversight of South Africa’s intelligence services.
We now call on Dintwe to immediately prioritise an investigation into the appointment of Arthur Fraser as the Director-General of the State Security Agency in September 2016.
Fraser’s suitability for the position is highly questionable as he frequently courted controversy during his stint as the Deputy Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, the predecessor to the State Security Agency, involving himself in political intrigue and irregularities. In particular, Dintwe must urgently probe Fraser’s involvement in the ‘Principal Agent Network’, a covert project run by the NIA between 2007 and 2010 which was tainted by allegations of misspending and prompted an investigation into fraud and corruption by then-IGI, Faith Radebe.
It beggars belief that Fraser was even considered for the position, never mind being appointed to one of the most powerful positions in the intelligence services. Fraser’s dodgy appointment, along with State Security Minister David Mahlobo’s close relationship with organised crime figures and his strained relationship with the truth, is vast eroding the integrity of our intelligence services.
Dintwe has a duty and responsibility to investigate the growing dysfunction in the intelligence services, which has been operating without civilian oversight for far too long. We hope he has the courage to do this important work.
Regards
John Steenhuisen MP
Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance
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