Legislation and procedures governing intelligence services will be reviewed in a bid to avoid ”future abuses”, Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils said on Wednesday.
This is aimed at determining ”whether there are any gaps or ambiguities that need tightening up”, the minister said in a statement.
”I intend reviewing the legislation, internal regulations and operating procedures that currently govern the intelligence services,” Kasrils said. ”In light of the recent events, it is important to look at interventions necessary to prevent any future abuses occurring in the intelligence community.”
Kasrils said the country’s intelligence services are required to perform their functions in defence of the national interest and in terms of the Constitution.
”In addition, I will be developing a civic education programme aimed at entrenching a culture of political non-partisanship and constitutionalism throughout the intelligence services.”
His spokesperson Lorna Daniels said a review team has yet to be set up. It is not known by when the exercise will be concluded.
Kasrils recently suspended National Intelligence Agency director general Billy Masetlha and two other senior officials pending an ongoing probe into claims of ”serious misconduct”.
This reportedly related to the unauthorised surveillance of politician-turned-businessman Saki Macozoma.
The suspensions followed an initial probe by the inspector general of intelligence at Kasrils’s instruction.
The investigation was prompted by a complaint from a member of the public, believed to be Macozoma.
The matter has been linked in the media to a succession battle in the ruling African National Congress between President Thabo Mbeki and his axed corruption-accused deputy Jacob Zuma.
Macozoma is said to be a Mbeki loyalist. The ministry has denied the suspensions were politically motivated.
The terms of the inspector general’s probe has since been extended to include e-mail messages circulated recently — purported to be authored by top government officials and senior politicians and out to smear individuals the ministry has declined to identify.
On Sunday, the ministry called on the public to disregard these ”sinister” messages, which it said were ”clearly fraudulent and aimed to cause confusion”. — Sapa