State spies must blame themselves for lack of trust

29 April 2015 - 02:02 By The Times Editorial

Claims that intelligence agents have been ordered to systematically spy on non-government organisations, civil society leaders, academics and community leaders perceived to be opposed to the government need to be investigated. The allegations, contained in a dossier compiled by the Right2Know Campaign, suggest that the State Security Agency, driven by high levels of ''state paranoia'', has exceeded its mandate by snooping on political activists working with communities.Although it gives examples of individual activists who were spied on or harassed, the dossier is careful not to identify them or the organisations they work for - and the State Security Agency has been quick to deny any involvement.But it is entirely conceivable that intelligence agents are being tasked with spying on radical unionists and those who organise service-delivery protests. That is what they are supposed to do. They question is, did they break the law in the process?About 1000 spooks are being sent to xenophobia hot spots to find out what triggers the attacks and how they can be prevented. This makes sense even if the intervention is tragically late.But it is also true that the leaking of dodgy ''intelligence reports'', designed to discredit opponents of one or other faction of the ANC, has become commonplace.Members of police crime intelligence appeared to be siding with the dominant faction of the ANC when they intercepted conversations between the head of the now defunct Scorpions and a former National Prosecuting Authority boss.Then there was the debacle a few weeks ago when the State Security Agency announced that it would look into the ludicrous allegations that Public Protector Thuli Madonsela was a CIA spy. Really?Our intelligence agencies have no doubt done great work in the service of South Africa.But, worryingly, they appear to be vulnerable to manipulation by political forces...

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