The ad hoc committee is conducting public hearings on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill. File Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Al Jama-ah in Limpopo has called for the ad hoc committee on the intelligence bill to seriously consider proposals to give the Inspector-General of Intelligence, Imtiaz Fazel, more powers to investigate spooks.
Saiti Ntola, who is the provincial leader of Al Jama-ah in Limpopo, said the Inspector-General of Intelligence must have more oversight powers over intelligence services to prevent malfeasance and other illegal activities.
Chairperson of the ad hoc committee, Jerome Maake, said they have listened to complaints by communities in Limpopo and will consider issues related to the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill.
Maake, whose committee was in Limpopo this week to conduct public hearings on the bill, said some of the issues raised by communities related to service delivery and porous borders.
“The focus here for this committee is the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, and most of the things that were said here should be in this bill because it’s clear when you talk about porous borders, you talk about illegal immigrants, and intelligence services should be involved in such things.
“Even those things that were said which concern service delivery issues, as I said earlier, a report is going to be prepared, and we are going to look into those other things that don’t fall within this bill and send those to the relevant portfolio committees,” said Maake.
But Al Jama-ah said in the public hearings they believe the Inspector-General should have more powers to do his job.
Proposals made by Fazel should be considered by the committee, said Ntola.
Among a set of proposals that Fazel made to the ad hoc committee last December was that his findings must be binding.
This would force intelligence agencies to implement his findings.
At the moment, the agencies are not implementing all the findings of the spy watchdog.
Ntola said the proposals by Fazel should be included in the bill.
“All amendments by the Inspector-General of Intelligence should be included in the bill. Civilian oversight is important and is required by our Constitution,” said Ntola.
Another Al Jama-ah member, Cassius Moagi, told the ad hoc committee they support the bill.
They support the de-establishment of the State Security Agency, and the agency will be split into a domestic branch and a foreign branch.
However, there were questions about the role of the new agency.
“With the de-establishment of the SSA, we want to ask how will the bill ensure that the services of the SSA or the newly established Intelligence Services are not abused or do not serve the agendas of certain individuals,” said Moagi.
He also called on the Inspector-General to be given more powers to prevent corruption.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics