Spooky tales that haunt the history of our politics

The use of state security agencies to tackle rowdy opposition MPs and the jamming of cellphone networks during the official opening of parliament have shone a light on the involvement of intelligence services in political affairs.

Amid the controversy over how authorities handled the chaos that ensued when Economic Freedom Fighters MPs interrupted President Jacob Zuma's state of the nation address, ANC politicians have alleged the existence of a plot to unseat the government.

The use of such quasi-intelligence to justify the actions of those in power is not new. A quick glance at recent history reveals just how security agencies, both formal and informal, have been relied on as various factions fought over influence and power.

Much of this trend can be traced back to the early 2000s at the genesis of what was later going to be known as the ANC leadership succession battle.

It all began with a public statement by the late safety and security minister Steve Tshwete alleging that police had uncovered a plot to oust then president Thabo Mbeki in 2001. He singled out ANC veterans Mathews Phosa, Tokyo Sexwale and Cyril Ramaphosa - now deputy president - as being part of that "plot".

The original source of these allegations, contained in an intelligence report that turned out to be bogus, was former Mpumalanga ANC Youth League leader James Nkambule, who has since died.

Ever since then, there have been numerous examples of "intelligence service" interference in the political sphere:

2003: An ANC intelligence report that claimed former national director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka was an apartheid spy was published by City Press. The report was compiled in 1989 by ANC intelligence, then headed by Mo Shaik. It prompted Mbeki to institute a commission of inquiry, which found no evidence that Ngcuka had been a spy;

2005: Former inspector-general of intelligence Zolile Ngcukana launched a probe into the authenticity of purported e-mails alleging that senior government officials and ANC leaders ganged up in a conspiracy against Zuma, then deputy president. At the time, Zuma's popularity among the ruling party's rank and file was on the rise; he had been fired by Mbeki just a few months before. The e-mails later turned out to be hoaxes and an IT businessman was named as their author;

2007: Just as the ANC succession battle reached fever pitch ahead of the Polokwane elective conference, at which Mbeki and Zuma were fighting to lead the party, the so-called Browse Mole report emerged. The report, originating from the now defunct crime-fighting unit the Scorpions and leaked to Zuma's supporters at Cosatu, claimed that the oil-rich Angolan authorities had covertly planned Zuma's bid to oust Mbeki. The report was dismissed by Mbeki's office as the work of "discredited information peddlers";

2012: The emergence of the so-called "ground coverage" intelligence report, allegedly authored by the then head of police crime intelligence, Richard Mdluli. The report named Sexwale as the leader of a campaign to oust Zuma at the ANC conference to be held in Mangaung in December 2012. The report claimed that several senior ANC leaders, including Sexwale, met at a farm in KwaZulu-Natal to discuss Zuma's ousting. Mdluli denied writing the report and claimed that his signature on the report had been forged.

2013: Embattled Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi released a "bogus" intelligence report, which, he claimed, influenced fellow union leaders to suspend him. The report surfaced as a battle for the soul of Cosatu raged between a faction led by Vavi and another led by its president, S'dumo Dlamini. Vavi insisted the federation's leaders had relied on the report when he was suspended after having an affair with a female staffer. The report claimed that Vavi was working with foreign agencies and opposition parties to topple the ANC government;

2014: Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza was named in a "top secret" document as having spied on senior ANC leaders for the apartheid government. Mabuza denied the allegations and threatened to sue his predecessor, Phosa, for allegedly distributing the document;

2015: KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu pointed to an intelligence report alleging that some colleagues - with the assistance of a former staff member - had plotted to poison him. The report emerged amid talk that provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala had launched an underground campaign to challenge Mchunu at the party's provincial congress. The report has been dismissed by Mchunu's detractors "as a deviation from real issues".

mokoneth@sundaytimes.co.za, shobas@sundaytimes.co.za