Concern over intelligence services

PARLIAMENT has expressed concern over the provision of strategic intelligence services and other platforms of intelligence-sharing for security operations.

This emerged in a report of the joint standing committee on defence following its oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng after the protests and looting of property.

MPs visited the two provinces as the security cluster departments were under fire for their apparent failure to pick up intelligence that could have helped to implement measures to stop the unrest much earlier.

The ministers in the security cluster gave conflicting accounts on matters of intelligence, among other things.

State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo said they had provided an intelligence report to the SAPS but Police Minister Bheki Cele denied having received it.

After Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula initially rejected calls for the deployment of soldiers, 2 500 were initially deployed.

The number was increased to 25 000 as a compromise after President Cyril Ramaphosa wanted 10 000, and the opposition 75 000, to support the SAPS in maintaining law and order and to bring stability. In its report, the joint committee said for the success of the SANDF and the SAPS operations, South Africa required a coherent and capable strategic intelligence capability.

“The committee, therefore, recommends that appropriate steps be taken to ensure a coherent and capable intelligence capability in the country and that structures such as the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee be optimised to ensure adequate intelligence provision,” the committee said in a report.

The report also said MPs had expressed concerns over a clear lack of intelligence to adequately inform the security forces of the initial outbreak of violence a few weeks ago.

“This points to serious concern around South Africa’s strategic intelligence capacity. However, at tactical intelligence level, the committee observed good cooperation between the SAPS and the SANDF under Operation Prosper characterised by regular information exchange and the establishment of appropriate structures to facilitate such information exchange.”

The committee said it was of the view that success in quelling the violence was significantly aided by the good intelligence sharing at tactical level. The report said MPs had, during a meeting with Mapisa-Nqakula in Chatsworth, equally expressed concern about the capability of the SAPS as they were unable to stop the violence in the province and required help from the SANDF.

In response the SAPS, in one of the briefings that were also attended by the police portfolio committee in KZN, highlighted the need for better intelligence to drive its operations.

The report said one of the lessons learnt was the need for police to enhance the use of technology for intelligence gathering purposes.

They also noted the need for accurate and timeous information to operational teams and to focus on information gathering from social networks in order to identify instigators.