The Zondo Commission has heard how the ministers of police, defence and state security allegedly all lodged a complaint against the Inspector General of Intelligence (IGI), Setlhomamaru Dintwe, for disclosing information to the commission before a consultation process.

"The complaint came at the time that I was expecting their input because the way the consultation was done is that I provided the three ministers and the president with the full bundle and said that I am intending to disclose this information to the commission and I am trying to comply with [the oversight act]," Dintwe told the commission on Tuesday evening.

The three ministers are the Police Minister Bheki Cele, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo.

Led by evidence leader, advocate Paul Pretorius, on State Security Agency (SSA) related evidence, the witness explained to the commission that he had successfully completed the consultation process, notwithstanding the difficulty, and that there was a letter from the president to confirm it.

Dintwe added that he had provided the full bundle of documents to the three ministers and the president, and there was a set date where he was to receive input. But, instead of input, he was informed of a complaint.

"On that date, instead of me getting the input, I then received three documents under the cover of a letter from the president. The president was informing me that he received complaints from the three ministers. Now Minister Bheki Cele would have written his own complaint, Minister Mapisa-Nqakula would have written her complaint, and Minister Dlodlo would have written hers as well, but there was a serious commonality between them."

CONSULTED

"Complaint number one was that I had disclosed information to the commission before I consulted, and the recommendation that they were making to the president was that I should be suspended and obviously be removed from this position," he said.

Dintwe further clarified to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that there were three documents with three different authors, but the allegations [the complaint] made against him were the same.

Pretorius then asked the witness to tell the commission what the president had said in the letter.

"He was informing me that he received those complaints, that he was attaching them, and that he referred that complaint to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence...with regards to the issue of suspension, he said that it will depend on the recommendation of the committee," he said.

Pretorius asked: "All this was happening at the time you were seeking to consult with the ministers about your further engagement with the commission?"

To which the witness responded: "That is correct."Dintwe added that 'the matter has been put to rest now, but not entirely'".

He also revealed that an attempt was made to limit his evidence.

"Yes, in a meeting between myself and the three ministers, which was a very hostile meeting, they requested me to give the letter written to me by the secretary of the commission. In that meeting, the ministers were really fixated on the issue of the commission has 'told you what they require of you'. I said no, they wanted any other information that would be helpful to the commission," Dintwe said.

The commission has previously heard how, among other things, the SSA set aside millions of rand for alleged monthly payments to former president Jacob Zuma, the recruiting and handling of sources in the judiciary to influence the outcome of cases against Zuma, as well as the SSA planning to deal with bad publicity about South Africa, Zuma and the agency itself by infiltrating and influencing the media, News24 reported.

The inquiry continues.