CVs under wraps for new spy watchdog candidates

Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence chairman Charles Nqakula is withholding the CVs of 10 candidates who are shortlisted to become the country’s next Inspector General of Intelligence.

The secrecy is a “big step backwards” and will lock the public out of a crucial appointment‚ said the activist-driven Right2Know Campaign in a statement on Thursday.

The position‚ as a civilian watchdog overseeing South Africa’s state security structures‚ has been vacant for more than a year. Whoever is appointed will oversee issues such as internet surveillance‚ keeping spies out of domestic politics and the monitoring of people.

“This is not right. The recent Public Protector appointment process showed how important it is for candidates’ CVs to be public and open to scrutiny‚” said Right2Know.

“Several of the candidates in that process were members of the intelligence structures‚ and their CVs were published without any harm. The recent nomination of candidates for the South African Human Rights Commission also met this basic level of transparency.”

Who is chosen to fill the position has become a contentious issue after the ANC pushed hard for the appointment of ANC MP Cecil Burgess. Burgess‚ who was instrumental in getting the Secrecy Bill through parliament‚ is not on the shortlist of 10.

In a letter to R2K’s attorneys‚ Nqakula said that‚ “Curriculum vitaes are of such a nature that their confidential treatment‚ especially in this process‚ is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society”.

The committee on intelligence meets mostly behind closed doors and without the candidate’s CVs the public will have scant information to assess and comment on their suitability for the job.

“As a civilian structure‚ accountable to parliament‚ the inspector general on intelligence is the person that stands between the public and serious abuse of power of the state-security structures‚” said the statement.

Co-signatories include the Right2Know Campaign‚ Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution‚ Open Democracy Advice Centre‚ Parliamentary Monitoring Group‚ Democracy‚ Governance and Service Delivery Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council‚ Women and Democracy Initiative‚ Dullah Omar Institute‚ amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and Corruption Watch.

- TMG Digital