Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Cecil Burgess, Chairperson of the JSCI, hon members, as I rise in support of this particular budget, it is important to note that budget debates are occasions on which we take stock and look at the previous year's activities of the department or organisation in relation to its programmes for the year and the years to come.
This year's debate on South Africa's Intelligence Services takes place against the backdrop of possible changes to our intelligence structures. This is possibly evidenced by the fact that the former Ministry of Intelligence has been renamed the Ministry of State Security.
Perhaps it is appropriate for us to have a common understanding of the concept "national security". National security has to be seen as a balance between the security interests of the state, in other words, state institutions, the Union Buildings, state departments, Tuynhuis, etc, and the welfare and prosperity of the state's citizens.
The gathering of intelligence forms an integral part of state security. Indeed it has been argued that national security is unattainable without intelligence. As a contribution to our national security, our intelligence services identify, evaluate and analyse threats. Our intelligence services warn our policymakers about real and possible threats as well as risks and dangers from any and every source, both within the country and from without.
It must be said that in doing this it is essential that our Intelligence Services provide our government only with cold, hard and accurate information as opposed to information that government wants to hear. It is equally important, if not more so, that our intelligence services should never serve party political interests or a particular segment of society.
In his introductory speech, the hon Minister made reference to certain steps that he intends taking and we want to say at this point that we welcome his stated intention to table the Protection of Information Bill, which we sent back to the Ministry last year.
But we do want to say that the border control matter cries out for resolution. We await with interest the proposed border management agency and we will be interrogating that particular structure vigorously as the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.
The authority given to law enforcement agencies and our intelligence services, allowing them to legally intercept communications, is an essential and crucial tool in this country's fight against crime, terrorism and espionage, to name but a few. We welcome enthusiastically, therefore, the announcement this morning by the hon Minister of Justice that the Regulation of Interception of Communications Amendment Bill has finally been promulgated.
We particularly welcome the implementation of section 40 and section 62 as a mandate. This Amendment Bill was first tabled in this Parliament in 2006 and is only now going to be implemented. The real reason for the inordinate delay in its implementation will eventually see the light of day because, as Shakespeare said, "the truth will out", and I trust and hope that I will be here to see that day.
We also note yesterday's edition of Business Report describing these amendments as, and I quote, "a burden on providers". I am somehow cynical about such a description.
Given the haste with which we received briefings from the services and agencies yesterday, it is incumbent upon us as members of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to receive a comprehensive briefing from, amongst others, the Office of Interception Centres, OIC. In the light of the promulgation of the Rica Act, we will need to rigorously ascertain the OIC's preparedness and effectiveness, its capacity and resources for providing a service to our law enforcement agencies and intelligence services.
We will need to pay particular attention to the OIC's ability or inability to intercept communications in urgent or emergency situations.
When Parliament considered this Bill, it was pointed out that there are always emergency or urgent situations in which law enforcement agencies find themselves. A few examples, such as the kidnapping of a child, the delivery of drugs across the borders of South Africa, necessitate that the law-enforcement agencies take immediate operational steps to either bring back the child to its parents or capture the drugs as well as the person delivering them. And so the OIC is expected to provide such a service to the law-enforcement agencies and it must do so effectively at any given time.
The idea of secrecy and the conducting of secret operations in a democratic society and constitutional democracies such as ours, is a contradiction and a paradox. The challenge we face as members of a Parliamentary committee charged with overseeing and monitoring our intelligence services stands on two legs.
On the one hand, we must ensure that the fundamental civil liberties our citizens enjoy are protected from any and all abuse by our intelligence services. Simultaneously, on the other hand, we must also ascertain that the people of South Africa are getting value for money provided to our intelligence services by our Treasury.
I have a dubious distinction: I am the longest serving member of this committee, and so I think I am somewhat qualified to offer a few words of advice. Becoming a member of the JSCI places on one a heavy and onerous burden and hon members will find this out in due course.
You meet behind closed doors, you are vetted, you are not allowed to issue statements and very quickly you realise there's no glamour in it - something which is anathema to a Member of Parliament and a politician! By becoming members of the joint standing committee we accept such challenges and commit ourselves to achieving the goals I have referred to.
In the time that I have left, allow me to respond just briefly to both Mr Coetzee and my hon chairperson. The hon Cecil Burgess referred to piracy in the Somalian waters and I don't want to be misunderstood as justifying such piracy, I agree with him wholeheartedly. But I wonder if we could go back and ascertain the causes of that piracy and perhaps we should at some point request a briefing from the Director-General of the South African Secret Services in this regard because my information is that, firstly, Somalia was invaded by Ethiopian forces. In the ensuing period, its waters were plundered and thereafter huge ships hove to on the horizon and dumped toxic waste in Somalian waters.
I am not saying that this is true; one needs to ascertain what is true and what is false. I don't believe Somalians got up one morning and decided, "Today I'm going to become a pirate".
With regard to the hon Coetzee's reference to the JSCI's report and the fact that it's being delayed by the Presidency, we agree. If necessary, Chairperson and hon Minister, the JSCI will bring amendments to the Intelligence Services Control Act, introducing deadlines for both the Presidency and the services to ensure that the date provided for in legislation is met timeously.
It's been a privilege and an honour, Chairperson, and I thank you.