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Connie September. Picture: Herman Verwey
No peeking, drink tea and limited possessions – tough rules were
implemented as deliberations over candidates for the inspector-general of
intelligence position began at Parliament today.
Six candidates were shortlisted. They include advocates Unathi
Bruce Bongco and Seswantsho Godfrey Lebeya, Modesta Dianne Phillips, Dr
Nyelisani Clarence Tshitereke, Professor Bruce William Watson, and Brightboy
Nhlakanipho Nkontwana.
Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence chairperson Connie
September immediately set the ground rules. Members of Parliament on the joint
standing committee’s sub-committee were limited to what they could bring into
the committee room and the journalists were given conditions for being allowed
to be present.
Members of the media had to sit so they could not peek into the fat
lever-arch files containing the 39 applications the MPs had started poring over.
The position has been vacant following the departure of Faith
Radebe a year ago.
In terms of the Intelligence Act, the Inspector-General of
Intelligence monitors intelligence and counter intelligence, must be a fit and
proper South African citizen, and submit to top security clearance processes. He
or she will monitor intelligence and counter intelligence of the State Security
Agency, the police’s and defence force’s intelligence services.
September asked MPs to get a cup of tea and whittle the list down
to five candidates. The candidates had already been pre-sorted into categories
according to whether they met the minimum requirements or not.
“For example, somebody who is a manager of a clothing store would
not qualify,’’ said September.
MPs were allowed to say if they disagreed with reasons for
disqualification. The most common would be that information was missing from the
application form.
The shortlisting came after the post was re-advertised. The closing
date was April 13. According to the new advertisement – identity, security and
qualifications checks would be carried out.
The advert did not state exactly what qualifications were required
for the job.
The Democratic Alliance said earlier in April it was pleased that
the process would be open because previously the African National Congress had
tried to force a candidate, Cecil Burgess, on them.
Approval of a candidate for the position required a two-thirds
majority vote in Parliament, according to the Constitution. Previous attempts to
secure this had failed because the ANC was just short of a two-thirds
majority.
Resistance to Burgess from some quarters related to him heading a
committee that produced the Protection of State Information Bill, the so-called
Secrecy Bill. He was a past chairperson of the intelligence committee.
Today, DA MP Hendrik Schmidt said he was worried the advertisement
did not state exactly which qualifications the candidate should have and felt
the “fit and proper’’ requirement was too broad.
He wanted to know who had separated the candidates who did not meet
the criteria and on what grounds. Roughly half the candidates had been
disqualified.
September said that the secretariat had done that initial work, but
Schmidt was at liberty to disagree.
The Right2Know campaign is pushing for the vacant post to be filled
urgently, after a long period of having nobody keeping South Africa’s
intelligence services in check.
R2K co-ordinator Murray Hunter told News24 that the job of the IGI
was to monitor intelligence and counter-intelligence. The IGI can, for example,
investigate a private individual’s complaint that a phone has been tapped.
The position is provided for in the Constitution and in terms of
the Intelligence Services Oversight Act.
The candidates’ names will be submitted to the Joint Standing
Committee on Intelligence, which will start a process of vetting. – News24
