Newscenter Media News Sylvia Lucas will chair the nine-person strong Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), the only Parliamentary oversight committee to meet in camera.
The appointment of the National Assembly (NA) Member of Parliament (MP), a former Northern Cape Premier and deputy chair of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), was made known in a Parliamentary Communication Services statement coinciding with the swearing in of the new JSCI yesterday (April 1).
In addition to Lucas, there are five ANC (African National Congress) MPs on the committee. They are Doris Dlakude, Mluleki Dlelanga, Tshilidzi Munyai, Kenneth Mmoiemang and Jane Mananiso. Three remaining three JSCI members – Dianne Kohler Barnard, Jeanne Adriaanse and Nicholas Myburgh – are all Democratic Alliance (DA) public representatives.
Among tasks ahead for Lucas and her co-committee members will be overseeing implementation of the South African government’s new intelligence dispensation, which includes two new departments for internal and external security (The Domestic Intelligence Agency – DIA – and Foreign Intelligence Service – FIS). The services came into being by way of President Cyril Ramaphosa signing the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) into law last week.
The GILAB amends key intelligence-related laws, including the National Strategic Intelligence Act of 1994, the Intelligence Services Act of 2002, and the Intelligence Services Oversight Act of 1994. Among its major reforms, the law disestablishes the State Security Agency (SSA) and replaces it with the Foreign Intelligence Service and Domestic Intelligence Agency. In addition, the law re-establishes the South African National Academy of Intelligence (SANAI) and the Intelligence Training Institute to enhance intelligence capacity-building.
Further provisions include the introduction of stricter measures regarding bulk interception of internet traffic entering or leaving South Africa, requiring internal authorisations and court reviews. The law also enhances financial management and expenditure oversight of intelligence entities under the JSCI’s purview and provides greater autonomy for the Inspector-General of Intelligence and the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC) in making administrative and operational decisions.
With these structural reforms, the JSCI’s role in ensuring that intelligence agencies function lawfully and effectively becomes even more crucial. The committee will oversee the budgets, operations, and conduct of both the FIS and DIA, ensuring compliance with national security policies and legal frameworks.
The restructuring aligns with the recommendations of the 2018 Presidential High-Level Review Panel on the SSA and the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture (the Zondo Commission). These reports highlighted past intelligence abuses, political interference, and financial mismanagement within the SSA, necessitating urgent reforms to restore integrity and effectiveness within the intelligence sector.
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