Publication	Weekend Argus
Date	2005-10-22
Reporter	Michael Schmidt, Chiara Carter, Sheena Adams
Web Link	www.capeargus.co.za

Zuma-Mbeki split: Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils calls urgent meeting, gives top spooks a dressing down

The ANC's bitter succession battle has become a "dirty war" with the country's spooks accused of spying on key figures in both the Mbeki and Zuma camps.

Such is the paranoia pervading all ranks of the organisation that leaders go as far as removing their cellphone batteries in private meetings, for fear someone could eavesdrop on them.

Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils has warned that anyone who plays politics with the country's security apparatus is playing with fire but the conduct of his agents is under question from all sides.

Yesterday, Kasrils convened an urgent meeting at Musanda, the joint National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and South African Security Service outside Pretoria, of all intelligence chiefs "from director level up".

He gave them a dressing-down, underlining the intelligence community's role as what he said were deliberately "non-partisan" state bodies.

His staff handed out a leaflet to all intelligence employees which states they should "refrain from involvement in party politics", and that "government and opposition groups should not misuse the intelligence services for partisan political ends".

But, he admitted it was an on-going battle to impress non-partisanship on the intelligence community.

Hours after Kasrils confirmed he had suspended the three top spy bosses for surveillance of businessman and ANC NEC member Saki Macozoma, ANC Youth League president Fikile Mbalula revealed he had complained about being followed by NIA spies. But, according to Mbalula, Kasrils had dismissed his claim and slammed the phone down on him.

Mbalula, a strong Zuma supporter, said he had also received threatening phone calls and death threats.

Kasrils spokeswoman Lorna Daniels was not prepared to comment on Mbalula's claims.

Earlier yesterday Kasrils confirmed that NIA director-general Billy Masetlha had been suspended and replaced by little-known electronic surveillance chief Manala Manzini.

Kasrils was at pains to separate the suspension of Masetlha and two of his deputies - operations chief Gibson Njenje and counter-intelligence chief Bob Mhlanga - from the battle for the heart and soul of the ruling ANC that has been provoked by the corruption case against ousted deputy president Jacob Zuma.

The closest Kasrils would come to admitting the Zuma trial was being monitored because of its potential to unleash instability was when he said: "Of course, intelligence must be concerned at its impact on the country." *1

He later said it was part of the NIA's role "to gauge public sentiment".

He warned that using the NIA as a political tool was "playing with fire, with the security of the country. It's political conspiracy and it leads to criminality. This will drag our country down, and will drag our country back."

But he refused to comment on what had lead unidentified field agents to diverge from a legitimate and authorised but minor operation to going so far as to place ANC National Executive Committee member and business heavyweight Saki Macozoma under surveillance, or what had lead Masetlha and his deputies allegedly to lie about why this had occurred.

Kasrils said his axing of Masetlha was "not related" to his spat with the former NIA chief last week over the latter's controversial submission - withdrawn at the eleventh hour - to the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into the Scorpions' future.

The Democratic Alliance yesterday said it wanted Kasrils to brief the joint standing committee at parliament as a matter of urgency and that the party intended arguing that the NIA's mandate be redefined to prevent agents pursuing "narrow political agendas".

DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said the party was deeply disturbed that so many key institutions, including the NIA, SAPS and the Scorpions, appeared to have become "victims of bitter rivalry" between Mbeki and Zuma.

Those who see the suspensions as part of a bigger picture point out that Njenje is a former business partner of slain mining magnate and Zuma supporter Brett Kebble and that Masetlha as director of home affairs okayed the deportation of Mark Wellesly-Wood, the Durban Roodepoort Deep executive who became a sworn enemy of the Kebble family - a decision that was overturned by then minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

---

*1  The art of political diplomacy (or diplomatic politics) - obscureness.