Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa designated intelligence services to the minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele as in line with Section 209 (2) of the constitution.
In a released statement, the office of the Presidency addressed that Gungubele assumes political responsibility for the control and direction of the State Security Agency, following the previous announcement made by Ramaphosa last year on 5 August.
“The Ministry of State Security would be done away with and political responsibility for the State Security Agency would reside in the Presidency,” a portion of the statement read.
Section 209(2) of the Constitution, which addresses the governance of intelligence services, empowers the President to assume political responsibility for intelligence services other than those of the police or national defence force, or to designate a member of Cabinet to assume this responsibility.
President @CyrilRamaphosa has, in terms of Section 209(2) of the Constitution, designated Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele to assume political responsibility for the control and direction of the State Security Agency.
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) January 17, 2022
The office of the Presidency further clarified that deputy minister Zizi Kodwa will continue as the deputy under the portfolio:
“The President has assigned responsibility for the State Security Agency to Minister Gungubele, who is a Cabinet member, while deputy minister Zizi Kodwa continues to serve as Deputy Minister.”
Former state security minister Ayanda Dlodlo came under intense scrutiny for failing to adequately deal with the July riots in KZN and Gauteng which saw billions of rand worth of damage done to both state and private property.
To read more political news and views, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
