The government is working on new proposals to regulate privately owned intelligence agencies, including what former State Security Agency (SSA) members can and cannot do when they go private, reported Sunday Times.<\/p>\n
The minister of the Presidency responsible for state security, \u00a0Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, told<\/a> Sunday Times that this would form part of the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB), which seeks to regulate the conduct of former members of the service.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether you like it or not, we\u2019ve got what we call external capacity. You\u2019ve got someone who works for the State Security Agency (SSA), and for whatever reason, they leave, and they\u2019ve got this expertise and information, and they go and set up their own thing.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what we are doing with GILAB is to say how to regulate that, and that is to propose a regulatory mechanism,\u201d said Ntshavheni.<\/p>\n This comes after former Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter, in partnership with Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), conducted and compiled a private investigation at the embattled power utility.<\/p>\n De Ruyter approached BLSA to help fund a risk assessment into criminal activity and sabotage at the utility.<\/p>\n BLSA subsequently contributed R18 million towards the R50 million investigation, and De Ruyter appointed George Fivaz Forensic and Risk to conduct the investigation and compile a report of its findings.<\/p>\n Neither the Eskom board nor the public were informed that the investigation was taking place.<\/p>\n Ntshavheni said that private operations were regulated by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA), but there was a loophole as the PSIRA does not regulate the intelligence-gathering component, which is the SSA\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n Ideally, De Ruyter should have gotten the SSA to vet the company he selected for the investigation. Once the SSA had approved it, there would be an agreement on where the gathered information would be stored, said Ntshavheni.<\/p>\n According to the minister, De Ruyter\u2019s actions were potentially illegal. She reiterated that the SSA was not involved in the operation, which she described as \u201crogue\u201d.<\/p>\n Ntshavheni said GILAB was scheduled for consideration by the cabinet this week before submission to parliament.<\/p>\n De Ruyter book<\/strong><\/p>\n Following his private investigation, De Ruyter published a book Truth To Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, <\/em>revealing further insight into the dark underbelly of Eskom and its goings on. The book has faced backlash from political figureheads.<\/p>\n