It’s not my fault Cele and police didn’t receive SSA intelligence, says former minister Ayanda Dlodlo

Former state security minister Ayanda Dlodlo on Tuesday refuted claims that her office provided no intelligence before and during the July 2021 unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Dlodlo took a swipe at police minister Bheki Cele, who made the claims against her.

She said her office could not be held accountable if Cele’s own department failed to ensure he received the intelligence reports that had been compiled, saying this was not her responsibility.

Dlodlo was testifying before the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in Sandton on Tuesday. The commission is investigating the unrest in the two provinces after former president Jacob Zuma’s incarceration in July last year.

She said all the information the State Security Agency (SSA) had was tabled to the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS), which she pointed out was chaired by officials of the police service and co-chaired by the SSA and the military.

“The SSA warned of growing instability which undermined the efforts of the state,” Dlodlo said.

She claimed the warnings came out long before the unrest, from as far back as December 2020. At that point, the warnings were that unrest was brewing and would most likely happen in the next year. 

Dlodlo went through a long list of alerts her department had issued before the unrest. This included a January 2021 “red alert” after they received messages from KwaZulu-Natal calling for a provincial shutdown and the removal of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The role of the SSA, she said, was to provide the police with information, and it was up to them to prepare based on this.

Between March and July 2021, the SSA issued 11 alerts, most of which had links to Zuma’s Constitutional Court appearance.

On July 10 2021, a red alert was also issued by the SSA after threats made on the life of then deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.

Zondo was central to Zuma’s eventual incarceration as Zuma had repeatedly refused to appear before the state capture inquiry which he was chairing.

Dlodlo told the SAHRC she was pained at the criticism tabled against the SSA after the unrest, saying: “The SSA has hard-working individuals. South Africans should not think they are not safe.”

She stressed the SSA could have done better because there was always room for improvement, but said they did all they could with the resources they had.

Dlodlo also highlighted the issues between herself and KwaZulu-Natal police chief Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi during that time, saying once Mkhwanazi went on paternal leave, it seemed there was easier flow of communication between her department and the police.

She said in several instances, malls which were looted and burnt were close to police stations. She stressed these did not need intelligence intervention, adding it was frustrating that such incidents were blamed on her office.

The hearings continue.