Inspector general of intelligence interview turns sour

This article below was published by EWN:

The R2K walked out of interviews to decide SA’s next inspector general of intelligence.

Picture: Masego Rahlaga/EWN.

Gaye Davis | about 19 hours ago 

CAPE TOWN – Lobby group the Right 2 Know (R2K) campaign has walked out of interviews being conducted to decide who will be the country’s next inspector general of intelligence.

Campaign spokesperson Murray Hunter gave the chairperson of the joint standing committee on intelligence, Connie September, a letter expressing concern about one of the candidates.

Former Member of Parliament (MP) Cecil Burgess is the past chairperson of the intelligence committee.

The R2K campaign wanted MPs to question him about his failure to table reports of the committee in time, as required by law.

But when a Democratic Alliance MP tried to address the matter, September shut him down.

“How important is it to submit and table any reports on time… honourable chairperson? May I caution you not to sneak in questions that are not there, I am not a fool.”

Hunter says he believes the issue should have been addressed.

“Our concerns about Mr Burgess is that when he was chair of the joint standing committee on intelligence he failed to produce any of the reports he was legally obliged to produce, which means he was keeping information out of the public domain and undermining transparent oversight of the intelligence sector…”

The committee has concluded interviewing 11 candidates and must now decide on one name that Parliament will recommend to President Jacob Zuma, who makes the appointment.
(Edited by Refilwe Pitjeng)