Cape Town | Wednesday
THE National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is investigating a ”security situation” in the Western Cape’s provincial legislature building in Cape Town.
This was all the provincial government had to say on Wednesday following reports in the Afrikaans daily newspaper Die Burger earlier in the day that ”sophisticated listening-in and monitoring equipment” was found in the building during a routine sweep of the premises by the NIA.
The newspaper said the devices included telephone tapping equipment, micro-transmitters for bugging offices, and ”equipment capable of listening-in to conversations at a distance”.
It further reported informed sources as saying information on local politicians and officials collected through use of the equipment was being ”kept in cardboard boxes somewhere in the legislature building”.
However, the provincial director-general’s office on Wednesday was unable to confirm or deny whether any such sophisticated equipment had in fact been found in the building.
”Unfortunately we cannot comment further at this stage,” said a tight-lipped representative for the director-general’s office.
She declined to answer any further questions put to her by Sapa.
Attempts to get comment from the office of the premier met the same response.
According to a nine-line long statement issued by the director-general’s office, ”a report from the NIA is expected within days”.
”The NIA is currently investigating the security situation (in the building)… as part of its routine programme to ensure the security of information.”
This was also to ensure ”that the minimum information security standards are fully understood and complied with by the Western Cape cabinet and provincial officials”.
If the NIA report showed any breaches of security regulations, the ”necessary steps” would be taken.
The NIA was not immediately available for comment.
Provincial service and administration ministry representative Thembela Kulu, who was quoted in the newspaper report as confirming hi-tech spying equipment had been found in the legislature building, on Wednesday told Sapa the report was a ”misrepresentation”.
”I can’t confirm any equipment was found,” she said.
Reacting to news of the discovery of the bugs, the African National Congress in the Western Cape called for a ”complete sweep” of the provincial legislature building.
ANC Western Cape provincial-secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha said that if the report of large-scale bugging and secret files on elected officials was correct, then it was an invasion of personal and party privacy.
”The reasons for such sophisticated espionage can only be devious and undemocratic.”
Calling for a ”complete sweep” of the building, Skwatsha said civil servants, no matter what their rank, had no right to interfere with or manipulate the affairs of the legislature.
Deputy Democratic Alliance leader Hennie Bester said the DA was sceptical about the revelations that the NIA found eavesdropping equipment in the building.
”The facts must be put on the table. Exactly what equipment was found, by whom, where and when.
”Moreover, given the NIA’s closeness to the ANC and the complete shambles that it finds itself in at the moment, we have doubts about its ability and objectivity in conducting the investigation,” Bester said. – Sapa