Ramaphosa establishes foreign, domestic spy agencies
President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, which is meant to reform the country's intelligence services.
The Act abolishes the current State Security Agency as a national government department and is being replaced by Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) and Domestic Intelligence Agency (DIA).
This amends the National Strategic Intelligence Act of 1994, the Intelligence Services Act of 2002, and the Intelligence Services Oversight Act of 1994.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said this forms part of the implementation of the recommendations of the Zondo Commission.
"The FIS shall be responsible for foreign intelligence gathering so as to identify opportunities and threats to National Security,
"The DIA shall be responsible for counterintelligence as well as the gathering of domestic intelligence in order to identify threats to National Security"
The amendment re-establishes the South African National Academy of Intelligence (SANAI) and Intelligence Training Institute for both domestic and foreign intelligence capacities.
"The law also addresses concerns about bulk interception by intelligence services of internet traffic entering or leaving South Africa, by introducing new measures including authorisation within the intelligence services as well as court reviews of such interception," he added
The two agencies will account to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence – a multiparty committee of Parliament that processes public complaints about the intelligence services.
The committee also monitors the finances and operations of these services.
"The newly enacted amendments also provide for greater autonomy for the Inspector-General of Intelligence and the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee in making administrative and functional decisions," Magwenya concluded.
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