Statement: Ramaphosa must provide us with the names of government spies in Right2Know!

On Tuesday, 02 February 2021, the Right2Know Campaign wrote a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the backdrop of the revelations and testimony given by the Chairperson of the High-Level Panel Review, Dr Sidney Mufumadi at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry in the previous week.

Mufumadi confirmed that the State had spied on the Right2Know and went further to disclose that we were infiltrated by State Security agents.

Our basic right to privacy has been violated.  We have written to President Ramaphosa demanding redress. We want Ramophosa to provide us with the name of the agents (who are most likely still amongst us) and to assure us that State Security no longer has us under surveillance.

We demand the democratic right to organize and hold the government accountable. Ramaphosa has a constitutional responsibility to ensure this right.

Our letter also raises broader concerns that, nearly two years later, not a single person has been held accountable for the creation of a parallel structure within the State Security Agency as well as the rampant looting and malfeasance that happened in the hollowing out of the institution for political reasons.

We demand that all those implicated in the corruption of the agency be held to account without any fear or favour. Ramaphosa must ensure:

• That the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence provides reasons for their inability to hold the agency to account and how they can commit to doing better in their oversight role.

• The SSA provides all organisations with the name of the agents that were sent to infiltrate them.  This includes ourselves, CASAC and Greenpeace as well as Student Movements and Workers Movements.

• Instruct the appropriate law enforcement bodies, oversight institutions and disciplinary bodies to investigate all manifest breaches of law, regulations and other prescripts within the State Security Agency with the view of instituting criminal and disciplinary prosecutions for all those implicated.

• Take action against former Director-General Arthur Fraser, former Ministers: Mr Siyabonga Cwele, Mr David Mahlobo, Mr Bongani Bongo, head of the rogue Special Operations Unit, Mr Thulani Dlomo as well as the former President Jacob Zuma, we call for them to be charged with defeating the hands of justice. We view their conduct as nearly treasonous. We also believe that they have gone on for too long without being disciplined.

• Ensure that all the recommendations of the High-Level Panel Review are fully implemented to avoid such from happening in the future.

We demand that those who gave the orders, those who carried out the infiltration be named and held to account. From the highest echelons within the agency to the very spies that were placed within our movements to spy on us.

We reiterate that for the agency to reform and regain the lost public confidence in the institution, the President has to ensure that all the recommendations by the High-Level Panel review are implemented as well as instituting an investigation through the different law enforcement agencies available to ensure all those implicated are brought to book.

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For more information or further comment contact: 

Thami Nkosi, R2K Advocacy Organiser: 062 624 5992

Percy Nhau, R2K NWG Member: 071 280 5047

Read the full letter here: