Individuals implicated in the e-mail hoax to allegedly discredit former Deputy President Jacob Zuma will be arrested and charged "very soon".

National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi told reporters at the Union Buildings in Pretoria over the weekend that certain individuals would "certainly" be charged.

In this regard, the office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) was formulating relevant charges.

He explained that the fabricated e-mails saga was serious and threatened state security.

"It was a mischief of highest order, very dangerous mischief that (threatened) the security of the state," Selebi emphasised.

Selebi added that another serious offence was for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) official(s) to pay an outsider, who is not employed by any intelligence agency to "intercept" the e-mails for NIA.

"It is clear that there was no interception of such e-mails but that the e-mails were manufactured and typed by someone. That person is one of the people that will be charged very soon," he said.

A recent investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI), Zolile Ngcakani, found the alleged "intercepted" e-mails were in fact fraudulent and manufactured by some individuals.

Last week journalists were given a 40-page summary of the Inspector-General’s report, with names and other sensitive material expunged from it because of legal action that will certainly be taken against the individuals.

Billy Masetlha, the director-general of the NIA at the time of these activities, had his contract prematurely terminated by President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday following his suspension last year because of the investigation launched at the request of Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils.

Two other senior members of the NIA - head of operations Gibson Njenje and counter-intelligence chief Bob Mhlanga - were also suspended last year.

The report by the IGI emerges from an investigation conducted into the activities of NIA operatives linked to what was found to be the “botched” and illegal surveillance of Saki Macozoma as well as fabricated emails paid for with NIA funds that were subsequently “injected” into Project Avani, set up by the NIA to gauge threats to national stability.

The apparent emails that were allegedly intercepted by the NIA while supposedly circulating among senior political figures last year “horrified” Kasrils when brought to his attention and caused a furore in South Africa when published in the press.

The report also finds that Masetlha made attempts to mislead the minister and the I-G’s investigative team, that his reasons for Macozoma’s surveillance were “without substance and merit” and that he obstructed attempts by Project Avani agents to verify the authenticity of the apparent emails.

Over the weekend, Selebi; Directors-General of NIA (acting) Manala Manzini; Justice and Constitutional Development Menzi Simelane; South African Secret Services (SASS) Hilton Dennis; the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee head Barry Gilder as well as Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Oupa Ngwenya expressed their support to the IGI's report.

"After an in-depth analysis of the report, we have, without reservation, accepted the findings of the IGI," said a joint statement read by Simelane on behalf of the heads of intelligence and security services.

The group expressed concern at the incident, saying they "have been very embarrassed" by whole saga.

They also noted with concern comments that called into question the integrity of the IGI.

Meanwhile, the group undertook to collectively and within the NIA, institute measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring.