Issued by: SA Communication Service
NIA-STATEMENT ON RECENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE AGENCY
NIA is greatly perturbed by recent media reports linking it to inter alia illegal buggings and so-called spying on a political party.
Firstly, NIA denies emphatically that it is involved in any illegal bugging operations. The use of buggingligence-gathering is employed only in isolated cases where intelligence cannot be obtained through other means and then only after a complex procedure has been followed whereby a judge has to give permission for such an operation. This procedure is prescribed by the Interception and Monitoring Prohibition Act (Act 127 of 1992). According to this Act the judge has to be convinced that prima facie evidence exists to justify such an operation. Far less than 1% of all domestic intelligence gathered by NIA in South Africa is thus obtained through this method. It must also be remembered that bugging equipment is freely available on the market and that NIA is definately not the only body with the capability to do bugging. We however would like to think that we, when necessary, do it more professionally than these obviously amateurish efforts.
Secondly, as has been stated repeatedly before and also during the past few days, NIA does not task its members to collect intelligence on any political party. One of the basic principles of intelligence included in the White Paper on Intelligence is that of political neutrality and in the Code of Conduct for Intelligence-workers compliance with democratic values such as respect for human rights is clearly stated and it is expected of all members to adhere to this. Complying with the Protection of Information Act, it is the stated policy of NIA never to divulge sources of information or intelligence targets. Dealing with the allegations by Mr Werner van Greunen, who claearers NIA wants to state catego of NIA or any agent of NIA has blect information on the National Party or any other party or its office-bearers. NIA's only interest in any individual would be ifinvolved or suspected of being involved in unconstitutional or illegal activities.
The impresacting in an uncontrolled and un-. This cannot be further from the truth. The fact is that NIA has to comply with NEW legislation pntelligence Services Act 38 of 1 is better controlled and supervied than probably any other intelligence service in a Western democracy through Act 40 of 1994 (Intelligence Services Control Act). Thus, the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence is also receiving NIA's fullest coopera- tion in it's investigation into present allegations against NIA. NIA has nothing to hide and is proud of its achievements since amalgama- tion.
Issued by: Willem Theron (Director Media and Communications NIA)
Date: 24 January 1996