Hon Chairperson, Minister, Ministers from the Security Cluster who have joined us here today, hon members, distinguished guests, members of the intelligence community and all those members of the intelligence community that the hon Minister has mentioned, who are present here with us today, on behalf of the committee, I would like to congratulate hon Minister Siyabonga Cwele on his reappointment to the newly named Ministry of State Security.
We acknowledge that this is the Minister's day and I, in particular, do not want to spoil the proceedings. Nevertheless, we note that the Minister has crossed the floor. We must remind the Minister that the agenda of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence remains the same, that is, strict oversight, notwithstanding the fact that the Minister has crossed the floor.
The Ancient Roman Satirist, Juvenal, is recorded as having written, and I quote, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" translated as, "Who will guard the guards themselves?"
The notion of oversight over rulers is an ancient Greek one captured in the philosophy and writings of Plato, and more particularly his great work known as The Republic. In this regard, even as Plato contemplated the notion of a Utopian society, he did not exclude the question of who shall oversee the rulers. Oversight over government is not a new concept and has its roots in the ancient Greek and Roman societies. Captain Timothy J Doorey in an article in May 2007, titled Intelligence Secrecy and Transparency: Finding "The Proper Balance from the War of Independence to the War of Terror", had the following to say about oversight, and I quote:
All major democratic governments' activities require oversight and accountability, both internal and external, to ensure that they are performing their mission competently, operating within the law and using public funds in an efficient and effective manner. This oversight requirement is essential for the intelligence community since most of its activities of necessity are conducted under the cloak of secrecy; not subject to many of the traditional safeguards common in our government agencies.
The Intelligence Services Oversight Act, Act 40 of 1994, provides that there shall be a Parliamentary committee known as the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, which shall, subject to the Constitution, perform oversight functions set out in the Act. As identified by the old philosophers, oversight of government and particularly the Intelligence Agencies is not a luxury but a necessary function as part of the overall instruments that operate in a democracy.
I do not wish to dig up old bones and disturb hidden emotions. But let me remind the House how horribly wrong things can go when there is no oversight over agencies that gather and operate with intelligence products. In this regard, we are reminded that for many years, the JSCI warned against the now defunct Directorate of Special Operations, DSO, the Scorpions, and the fact that it was gathering intelligence, but was not subject to any form of oversight.
Not even after the Khampepe Commission confirmed that the DSO was gathering intelligence and recommended that this activity needed to be stopped immediately, was the necessary action taken. As a consequence, we were finally faced with that most evil document that became known as the Browse Mole Consolidated Report, being manufactured right in the midst of the DSO and under the guidance of its leadership. These are the evils that one can expect if oversight in the field of intelligence is ignored or undermined.
It is important for all involved in the intelligence community, including the JSCI, to find a proper balance under our Constitution between intelligence secrecy, accountability and transparency. However, the JSCI remains what it is, an oversight body, necessary and relevant in a democracy.
The JSCI has an oversight function over the new Ministry of State Security and the agencies for which the hon Minister is responsible. The JSCI also has an oversight function over Crime Intelligence, a division of the SAPS, the Defence Intelligence Division of the SANDF, which do not, however, fall under the jurisdiction of the hon Minister.
We also wish to remind the hon Minister that on 25 June 2009, the hon President Zuma, in his response to the debate on the Presidency Budget Vote, reminded the nation that the new members of the Executive were going to, and I quote, "hit the ground running". I am not sure at what speed the hon Minister intends to hit the ground. However, we would like to remind him that, at whatever speed he intends hitting the ground, he need only look to his side and he will find the JSCI right next to him. We believe this is what the President has called for: strong oversight. And we, as the JSCI, intend to oblige.
Even as we now remind ourselves of the oversight role, we recognise the importance of the community when it comes to safekeeping our society, the protection of our democracy and the very important role that the intelligence services play in this regard.
We are particularly comforted to hear from the hon Minister that his people were working together with the other agencies in the security cluster to produce a very successful hosting of the Indian Premier League, the successful hosting of the Confederations Cup and also the involvement of the agencies in the April national and provincial general elections. We trust that we will continue to execute this oversight role and make sure that the Minister and his agencies play just as important a role in the forthcoming 2010 Fifa World Cup.
There's a matter that attracted my attention yesterday; I thought I might mention it here. I was listening to the radio last night and there was a caller who said that he had this fear that if Jacob Zuma became President, the country would become unstable. He said he had, in fact, because of his fear, considered leaving the country. However, he admitted that after listening to President Zuma's speeches, he was extremely impressed and reassured, and now has an expectation that there is a serious commitment of goodwill from the new government.
But I think we must remind the doubters, the prophets of doom and those who live in denial, that the record of the ANC and the ANC government is not contained in a secret document, neither is it the subject of suppression; no, not at all. What is common knowledge to all is that from the Freedom Charter to the Interim Constitution with its constitutional principles, to the leadership of Nelson Mandela, to the new constitutional Republic of South Africa and to our present President, President Jacob Zuma, the ANC government and the ANC has been consistent and the record shows an unmistakable commitment to reconciliation, the building of a caring society, transforming from an old and oppressive to a new democratic order and a commitment to the protection of the Constitution and fundamental rights. I really think the point I would like to make is for one to imagine what our country would become if the ANC and the government left the country.
The Minister must not forget, when implementing these programmes that he has so kindly introduced us to, that we have committed ourselves to gender equality in the services. The JSCI therefore will monitor this development very closely.
The JSCI welcomes the Minister's assurance that he will soon reintroduce the necessary legislation to strengthen the work of the agencies. In particular, we look forward to the re-introduction of the Protection of Information Bill. We hope that the Minister has considered the proposals made by the ad hoc committee that dealt with the Bills.
We note that the foreign policy of our country is particularly directed at Africa. We have seen the Defence Force involved in massive peacekeeping exercises on the continent. Our government has also actively been assisting in peacekeeping negotiations throughout the continent. All this hard and necessary work is directed at enhancing and encouraging the spread of democracy on the African continent.
The JSCI has identified Africa as part of its strategic plan in spreading the necessity of the concept of an oversight authority in the field of intelligence. We must say, however, that our initial interactions have found that, in general, such a concept is foreign and when raised is viewed with anxiety and suspicion by our African counterparts. However, the JSCI will continue with its effort in emphasising the necessity of using proper oversight over intelligence in Africa as fundamental to the acceptance and creation of democracy.
I thought I might mention another strange factor that has suddenly visited our society. A new menace has emerged in recent times on the African continent. I refer here to piracy against seafaring vessels. This remains a significant issue, with billions of dollars of losses per year, attributed particularly to the waters between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, off the Somali coast.
The International Maritime Bureau records indicate that hostage- taking overwhelmingly dominates the types of violence against seafarers. In 2006 there were 239 attacks, 72 crew members were kidnapped and 138 taken hostage. In 2007, the attacks rose to 10%. These attacks seem to be growing on a yearly basis and, therefore, pose a significant threat to the economy of our country and stability on the African continent. We trust that the intelligence agencies and our security personnel are mindful of these very dangerous happenings in our waters.
In conclusion, in his state of the nation address, on 3 June 2009, the President identified 10 priority areas, which form part of the Medium-Term Strategic Framework for 2009 to 2014.
However, the President cautions that one of the biggest milestones in achieving our objectives would be the current global economic meltdown, but assures the nation that it will not alter the direction of our development.
I end, in anticipation, on a note of enthusiasm, realising that we must work as a collective towards the realisation of the President's 10 priority areas. As the President has put it, "working together, we can achieve more". I thank you. [Applause.]