MPUMALANGA Premier David Mabuza refuses to say whether he has used surveillance or intelligence agents to monitor journalists or political opponents.
Mabuza has, however, previously told an April 15 press conference that he routinely monitors "troublemakers" in the province, via weekly intelligence reports containing classified information, including surveillance records of people perceived to be a threat to the stability of his administration.
He boasted at the time that nothing happened in the province without him being aware of it -- but, in the wake of international condemnation of the arrest of Sunday Times investigative journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika, Mabuza refused to either confirm or deny this week whether provincial intelligence authorities had included journalists in their surveillance.
Mabuza was not so coy back in April, when he told journalists: "On a daily basis, on a weekly basis I receive reports: intelligence reports with classified information. The reports tell me about your activities [and] about ordinary people doing things. And [the reports] will tell me the names of the people [involved]. They will tell me about threats in the province. It is [the security agency's] responsibility to do that. I mean across the board. "In these service delivery protests, they report who is who. Just for me to know, so I don’t miss the point. Not for me to arrest them. They will tell me [you] are doing one, two, three, four, five. Oh, OK. When I meet you, I will hug you and laugh with you, but I will know: there is something I know about you," Mabuza explained.
When questioned on the legality of monitoring political colleagues or journalists, Mabuza stressed that he merely received the reports. "People are not monitored [directly] by us, but remember that this is not a free-for-all country where you can steal cars, smuggle things, and hope that people will not follow you. As long as the security agencies feel they suspect you, they follow you, and they report where they must report so that you can be arrested or be monitored. It is their duty. "But, for me -- for people who are causing unrest, who are toyi-toying, who [are] saying things -- I must know who is doing what, where. The [security agencies] have a responsibility to tell me. How they do it, how they collect data, it is not my responsibility. I am not going to ask them how they came to this conclusion. Because they are giving me that information not to use, but to know."
Mabuza was then at pains to explain that all surveillance in the province was legal. "Security agencies, they know what to do. They cannot be threatened by you. If they want to listen to your phone, they know what to do. And, they will be granted permission. They must offer reasons why they want to listen to your phone, and a magistrate will give that permission. And that is it. Then you are being listened at. "But on their own, I don’t think that can just listen to your phone. It is a process. If you go to your law, you will find it. It is legislated, because as much as they can listen to your phone, you have got a right as a human being."
Mabuza's spokesman, Mabutho Sithole, confirmed on Thursday that Mabuza had been speaking about the supposed conspiracy involving Wa Afrika and a Mpumalanga deputy director for informal settlements, Victor Mlimi. The two were arrested earlier this week and charged with fraud, forgery, and uttering (to circulate fraudulent items) for being in possession of an allegedly fake letter of resignation purportedly written by Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.
Mabuza issued a strongly worded press statement shortly after the arrests, claiming Wa Afrika was part of a wider plot to destabilise the province and unseat Mabuza as premier. "Definitely, he was speaking about the same case at that press conference [in April]. It is all linked: this Josh hit-list story, the alleged raid on [Mabuza's] house that never happened, and now the fake resignation letter. We said then that journalists were part of a plot with people who are hell-bent on discrediting the Premier's good name," said Sithole.
Sithole said the allegations, including that Mabuza had an arms cache and millions in cash at his home plus that he'd hired hitmen to murder opponents, were viewed as threats to state security. Sithole also claimed that the violent service delivery riots that have rocked the province for over a year are part of the plot, and are being funded by political opponents. He refused, however, to comment on whether Mabuza had received surveillance reports on journalists who reported on the allegations, or who were perceived to be "part of the plot". "I do not know and I will not ask the Premier, because even if he is receiving such reports, he would not tell me yes or no. He would not be able to divulge in terms of protocol. The content of such reports is classified," Sithole insisted on Thursday. When pressed, Sithole undertook to check with Mabuza. He was, however, still unwilling to confirm or deny on Friday and was consistently unavailable on Saturday.
Hawks spokesman Musa Zondi also refused to comment on whether intelligence agencies had assisted with the investigation, or whether journalists in the province had been under surveillance. "I have not been briefed on that, and am not going to speculate or say anything before the matter is before court. You will have to wait for the court hearing," was Zondi's initial terse response. When pressed for comment again on Saturday, Zondi said: "I can't comment on spying issues. That is outside my scope".
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) spokeswoman, Lorna Daniels, was unavailable on either of her mobile phones on Saturday. Zondi meanwhile also refused to respond to Mabuza's midnight statement on Wednesday, which claimed Wa Afrika's arrest was linked to that of James Nkambule in March.
Nkambule was arrested after admitting to circulating a hit-list of Mpumalanga public figures supposedly drafted by a Mozambican assassin known only as 'Josh'. The list included Mbombela municipality speaker, councillor Jimmy Mohlala, who was executed in front of his family in January 2009 while investigating tender irregularities relating to the Mbombela 2010 stadium. No one has been arrested for the murder. The list also included names of other Mpumalanga officials who had either died or disappeared in questionable circumstances during anti-corruption investigations.
Source: Capital
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