ANC to re-establish South Africa’s National Security Council

Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, has said the government has approved the re-establishment of the National Security Council in order to simplify the coordination of security services in the country. 

The re-establishment of the council is hoped to revive South Africa’s stripped-down security services, which were considerably diminished under President Jacob Zuma. According to Mthembu, the council will oversee approval of the national security strategy, national intelligence priorities and national intelligence estimates. 

The decision has shocked commentators by garnering approval from the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s main opposition party. Shadow Minister of State Security Dianne Kohler-Barnard said she was in favour of the move but would oversee operations carefully. 

“We cautiously welcome the re-establishment of the National Security Council (NSC). The DA will closely monitor the re-establishment of this unit and ensure that history does not repeat itself. This Council must not be above scrutiny, as it will take immense effort to regain local and international trust”, she said. 

Ms Kohler-Barnard emphasised the importance of not returning to Zuma-era levels of corruption, issuing a stark reminder of what the National Security Council had formerly been. 

“It is common knowledge that the State Security Agency became one of the areas of mass-looting during the Zuma era. It was under Zuma that the NSC was side-lined, and the SSA manipulated to become his private spy centre. During those years, our formerly globally-admired entity became a laughing stock”. 

Photo credit: Southern Times