Durban - Opposition parties want newly appointed Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) Imtiaz Fazel to play a greater oversight role in the country’s spy agencies and to stop the abuse of the intelligence apparatus from affecting the operations and politics of parties in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
Fazel served as the acting chief operating officer in the IGI office between 2002 and 2012 before joining the Department of Public Works, where he served as acting director-general.
He faces serious challenges as highlighted by the Zondo commission report on State Capture and the Sydney Mufamadi high-level review panel report on the state security agency.
Fazel will play a watchdog role over Defence Intelligence, Crime Intelligence and the State Security Agency – entities which are by their nature clandestine in their activities.
DA spokesperson for state security and party leader John Steenhuisen’s national security adviser, Natasha Mazzone, said Fazel had a tough task ahead as all the state security apparatus operate in silos.
Mazzone said the party was calling for an oversight committee for the Office of the Presidency, where the minister in office Mondli Gungubele was now in charge of state security.
“There has to be oversight and it must be more open and accountable.
“We are not ignorant as matters of intelligence have to be kept a secret to ensure that operations do not collapse.
“The office of the IGI has to define what is in the public interest, what is confidential and how the determination of classified documents is made by the intelligence services.”
She said accountability mechanisms needed to be put in place to hold state security to account without compromising safety and security of citizens.
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said the July 2021 unrest had revealed the incompetence of the country’s intelligence services.
“We want intelligence services to be able to detect such incidents prior to them taking place and if they remain asleep, then we will conclude that Fazel is not doing his job.
“We also want the intelligence sector to play an unbiased role ahead of the 2024 elections and for them to ensure we have a stable, free and fair process,” Hlabisa said.
He said many people were expecting great change in 2024 and there must be peace and stability so people are free to make their own choices.
Build One South Africa movement leader Mmusi Maimane said it was vital that the IGI has enough capacity and it must, on a more regular basis, interact with the Presidency.