The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has come out in support of Billy Masetlha, the former spy boss, who appeared in court on Friday.
”We reaffirm our unwavering support for our living monument, a founder member of Cosas and a tried and tested veteran of the congress, comrade Billy Masetlha,” the organisation said in a statement on Friday.
Masetlha, the former director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), was fired by President Thabo Mbeki in March following a hoax e-mail scandal.
The former spy boss appeared briefly in connection with contravening the Intelligence Services Act in the Hatfield Community Court, Pretoria, on Friday.
In a statement on the court case, Cosas said: ”The case is a clear joke and a rape of the law by the forces that have no respect for the rule of law that they claim to uphold.”
It said the case is a waste of state resources and abuse of power through ”endless malicious prosecution of comrades”.
”Taxpayers’ money should be dedicated to service delivery, not to attacks of a personal nature aimed at destroying other comrades.”
The students said the case is a transparent act of desperation to portray Masetlha as a criminal.
Cosas linked Masetlha’s case to ”the succession conflict within the ANC”.
”The claim by the NIA that comrade Masetlha refused to answer questions put to him by Intelligence Inspector General Zolile Gcakani is fraudulent behaviour to further Ronnie Kasrils’s personal feelings against Masetlha.”
Cosas said Kasrils ”and his company” have a clear political mission to destroy anything that upholds the truth and defends the revolution from the coup that has become the order of the day.
Masetlha has done nothing but serve the country with pride and dignity from the anti-apartheid struggles until now without fail, it said.
”Cosas calls upon all its associate members and veterans to commit to the call to offer support to comrade Masetlha because that will give a clear message to the voices of darkness that are howling trying to sell our revolution.”
Masetlha was fired after he allegedly refused to answer questions put to him by Gcakani.
Gcakani found that the e-mails — believed to be part of the ANC succession battle and which showed an abuse of state resources for party political ends — were a hoax.
Masetlha is challenging his dismissal from office. His case was postponed to December 8 and 9, when he will make a plea. — Sapa