TRANSFORMATION OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE

Issued by: The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry for Intelligence Services

JOINT STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER AND DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES: APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERIAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO THE TRANSFORMATION OF DEFENCE INTELLIGENCE

Following briefings to the Cabinet Committee on Security and Intelligence Affairs (CCSI), Cabinet approved a recommendation that the Minister of Defence, in consultation with the Deputy Minister of Intelligence, submit a written evaluation report on the transformation of Military Intelligence.

In pursuance of the above Cabinet decision, it was agreed last December that:

• the focus of the written evaluation report should be on Defence Intelligence as a whole;
• the aim of the evaluation is to ensure that Defence Intelligence is transformed and not reformed;
• such transformation is impossible without a thorough knowledge of Defence Intelligence and all its structures, including both overt and covert structures; and
• such a process cannot be handled by Defence Intelligence itself, but rather by an independent panel of experts.

Based on the above, the CCSI recommended that Cabinet approve the establishment of a Ministerial Commission of Enquiry into the Transformation of Defence Intelligence Final Cabinet approval for the appointment of the Commission followed on 4 March 1998.

In pursuance of this decision, the Ministries of Defence and Intelligence met and the following persons were appointed to serve on the Commission:

• Advocate M Moerane (Chairperson)
• V Pikoli (Deputy Chairperson)
• R Williams
• Lt Col SK Mnisi
• Mr LMT Jafta
• Dr BSV Minyuku
• Mr T Yengeni
• Ms N Mapisa-Nqakula

The Commission shall report directly to the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence as the responsible line functionaries. Regular meetings shall be held by the Commission, together with the Minister of Defence and the Deputy Minister for Intelligence Services, where they will be appraised of developments relating to the work of the Commission.

The final report shall be given to the Minister of Defence who, in consultation with the Deputy Minister for Intelligence Services, shall brief the Presidency so as to expedite the implementation of the recommendations.

The terms of reference of the Commission are, amongst others, the review of:

• The role and mission of the Intelligence Division within the new intelligence dispensation;
• The priorities, functions, capabilities and activities of the Intelligence Division;
• The structures, lines of accountability and reporting (inclusive of relationship with the Ministry, the Secretariat, and the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence);

The representativity of otherwise of structures of the Intelligence Division; and

• The past and present covert structures of the Intelligence Division.

It should be borne in mind that the appointment of the Commission is the culmination of a long process which had its origins in 1996. It is in no way related to the inquiry recently appointed by the President to investigate the circumstances surrounding a specific report.

A similar process, under the Chairmanship of Mr V Pikoli, was followed regarding the transformation of the civilian intelligence services. A report on the findings and recommendations of the Pikoli Commission was made public in 1997, and a similar process is envisaged with the Ministerial Commission of Enquiry into the Transformation of Defence Intelligence.

ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND THE MINISTRY FOR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, 9 APRIL 1998