The National Intelligence Agency’s (NIA) tight security measures to pre-empt expected protests at the International Housing Research Seminar in Cape Town this week left delegates baffled and ”humiliated”.
”This is not a valid South African identity document,” read one computer, in what turned out to be a finger-fuddle by one of the data capturers registering professors, researchers, social activists and the media at the seminar on Monday morning.
All had to submit their thumbprint, twice, on an electronic capturing device — the portable version of which is widely used by Cape Town police to check on the possible criminal records of street children.
Identity documents and passports were photocopied and the make, model and serial number of cellphones captured before delegates were digitally photographed for their accreditation tags.
The NIA had been at the conference venue since the previous Friday to set up, with the police, the accreditation and security controls — a hapless photographer had the film pulled out of his camera for documenting this.
”The security measures … were in line with our normal standards for such events,” said NIA spokesperson Lorna Daniels.
”Security at special events is a joint responsibility of the South African Police Service and the NIA. We have a responsibility to ensure that foreign government leaders and visiting VIPs are provided with the best security while in our country.”
Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu, whose former portfolio included the NIA, was apparently unaware of the security-heavy registration process. While some delegates shrugged off or joked about the registration procedure, others said they felt ”uncomfortable” and ”humiliated”. In contrast, accreditation at a conference in Chicago, United States, had been a breeze, said another.
All was abandoned when delegates were still queuing two hours after the conference was scheduled to start.
And the feared protests did come — a day after the conference ended, 35km away at Khayelitsha along the N2 and 135km up the N1 in De Doorns.