There had been no political conspiracy to oust former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha from his position, the Hatfield Community Court heard in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Inspector General Zolile Ngcakani said the intelligence service does not resort to any method to make its staff leave their posts. ”Since 1994, there have been many director generals who have left their posts. Why we would we make up a plot to make him [Masetlha] leave?” Ngcakani asked. ”I am not aware of any plot.”
He was responding to state prosecutor Matric Luphondo’s question on whether there had been a plot to get rid of Masetlha at the NIA.
Masetlha has pleaded not guilty to a charge of withholding information or refusing to answer questions put to him by Ncgakani about alleged hoax emails implicating senior African National Congress (ANC) members in a conspiracy against Jacob Zuma, the ANC deputy president, and Kgalema Motlanthe, the party’s secretary general.
Court proceedings centred on the final report that Ncgakani had handed to Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils about the email saga.
Ncgakani said the NIA’s found in the report that the emails belonged to and were commissioned by the agency, and that they were used as if they were intelligence — but they turned out be a hoax.
Masetlha’s termination of contract was because of the breakdown of trust between him and Mbeki, he added.
Defence attorney Neil Tuchten said Masetlha disagreed with these findings.
The NIA fully cooperated in the investigation, but viewed Masetlha as not facilitating the investigation process, Ncgakani said. ”The process was to get answers; we were not only investigating Masetlha, but the whole NIA, and wanted all officials of the NIA to respond, including Masetlha.”
He said the produced final report will stand the test of scrutiny and that nothing will debunk it. ”The recommendations made in the report were justifiable to take disciplinary action,” he said, adding that he bears no grudge against Masetlha.
In December last year, the Pretoria High Court turned down an application to reinstate Masetlha. Judge Ben du Plessis ruled that a breakdown of trust was a lawful reason for Mbeki’s suspension and sacking of Masetlha.
Masetlha was suspended in October 2005 and dismissed in March last year.
The trial continues on Thursday. — Sapa