Open Letter Urges President Ramaphosa To Reign In Rogue Agents In KZN

A stark warning has been issued to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in an open letter penned by violence and police monitor, Professor Mary de Haas, regarding a grave and continuing threat posed by rogue intelligence agents in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The letter details how these operatives, allegedly trained in espionage and subversive tactics during former President Jacob Zuma's administration, remain loyal to him, contributing to a volatile and dangerous situation in the region.

Professor de Haas expresses deep concern over what she terms the deteriorating state of South Africa's intelligence services, marking the newly signed Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) Act as fundamentally defective. She argues that it exemplifies the government's failure to implement robust legislative oversight of intelligence agencies, posing dire consequences for effective governance and national security.

Going further, the letter outlines the extent of the problem, citing how the lack of controls within the State Security Agency (SSA) inadvertently allows these rogue elements to continue operations, potentially leading to acts of sedition. It also highlights issues such as the misuse of the Secret Service Fund and the alleged targeting of top investigators by compromised IPID staff in KZN.

Professor de Haas does not hold back in her criticism of President Ramaphosa's recent actions. She rebukes his decision to sign the IPID Bill into law, referencing a 2016 Constitutional Court Order that called for IPID's independence from political manipulation—a standard she believes the current bill fails to meet. The letter recalls her previous plea from April, urging the establishment of a judicial inquiry into IPID's operations, which she considers profoundly lacking in fulfilling its mandate to effectively monitor police conduct.

Moreover, the letter suggests that the President's actions reflect poorly on his commitment to collaborative governance, a cornerstone of South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU). It brings into question why there appears to have been prioritization in enacting the IPID bill—viewed as unconstitutional by de Haas—over the long-awaited General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, which seeks to address the constitutional breaches identified by the High-Level Review Panel.

The severity of Professor de Haas's criticisms and the urgency of her calls for action underscore a dire need for a reassessment of South Africa's oversight and control of its intelligence operations, particularly as they pertain to national security and the effective administration of justice.