Former spy boss Billy Masetlha had tried to advance Jacob Zuma’s political career, the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court heard on Thursday.
Testifying for the second day, Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils said it appeared from the inspector general’s report that Masetlha was trying to advance Zuma’s career prior to the party conference in Polokwane last year. Zuma was then ANC deputy president.
The report focused on the surveillance of businessman Saki Macozoma and contained documents of the so-called email hoax saga.
Defence advocate Neil Tuchten asked Kasrils what had led to Masetlha’s dismissal. Kasrils said that this was because of a breakdown in communication and the result of an abuse of power and misuse of state resources.
”It was the abuse of power, the misuse of resources , he [President Thabo Mbeki] lost confidence and trust,” said Kasrils.
On whether Masetlha was a trustworthy person, Kasrils referred to a project established to determine with whom members of foreign intelligence services were liaising in South Africa.
Kasrils said the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) at the time was spying on foreign agents and at one point wanted to intercept an agent who was coming into the country.
However, contact with the agent was lost until the agent was spotted at a restaurant with Macozoma. The two exchanged greetings. Following this incident, the surveillance of Macozoma began by the NIA.
Kasrils said the fact that the agent was spotted in the same ”coffee bar” in which Macozoma was did not necessarily mean that the two had links.
He said Masetlha’s dismissal was largely due to the inspector general’s report that showed Masetlha in a negative light.
Magistrate Dawie Jacobs postponed the matter to September 18 to give Kasrils time to study documents relating to the matter.
Masetlha, former NIA manager for electronic surveillance, Funokwakhe Madlala, and IT expert Muziwendoda Kunene, are facing fraud charges relating to hoax emails implicating senior ANC members in a conspiracy against Zuma. – Sapa