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Yesterday’s appointment of Arthur Fraser as the new Director-General (D-G) of the State Security Agency (SSA) illustrates once again how Minister David Mahlobo and his cronies continue to have unbridled access to the security services without civilian oversight.

Fraser’s appointment comes despite the fact that the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) have not met since 26 May.

It follows an unsuccessful bid by the ANC to have former JSCI Chairperson, Cecil Burgess, appointed as Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI). The DA successfully blocked the appointment Burgess, the architect of the “Secrecy Bill” and a “whitewashed” report on “Nkandlagate”. Sadly, this crucial post remains vacant.

Similar to Burgess, serious questions regarding Fraser’s suitability for the position must be posed.

Fraser frequently courted controversy during his stint as the Deputy Director-General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the predecessor to the SSA, involving himself in political intrigue and irregularities. These included:

    Allegedly leaking of the so-called Spy Tapes to Jacob Zuma in 2009, obtained during an NIA investigation into the Special Browse Mole report, prompting then acting NPA boss, Mokotedi Mpshe, to withdraw 783 charges of fraud, racketeering and corruption against Zuma;
    Involvement in the ‘Principal Agent Network’, a covert project run by the NIA between 2007 and 2010 which was tainted by allegations of misspending and prompted an investigation into fraud and corruption by then-IGI, Faith Radebe;
    Securing irregular tenders amounting to millions of rands from the South African Social Security Agency in 2014 for “consultancy services” provided by his company, Resurgent Risk Management, which Fraser co-owns with former NIA D-G, Manala Manzini.

I will therefore be writing Charles Nqakula, the newly appointed Chairperson of the JSCI, to request that the committee meets at the earliest possible opportunity to consider the appropriateness of Fraser’s appointment.

We must ensure transparency and accountability in South Africa’s intelligence services and cannot allow the appointment of dubious individuals to compromise its impartiality and independence.

Issued by DA