To download an audio clip of the Chairperson of the Ad Hoc Committee on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, Mr Jerome Maake click https://www.iono.fm/e/1407180

The Ad Hoc Committee on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill today commenced with the Mpumalanga leg of the public hearings at the Kobwa Community Hall in Malelane in the Nkomazi Local Municipality.

The committee welcomed approximately 168 members of the public who expressed their views on the Bill. During oral submissions made today, residents stated that the Nkomazi area is bordered by Mozambique and Eswatini which makes it vulnerable to cross border syndicates and illegal foreign operations.

The residents said they would like the Bill to address the effectiveness of interaction between the domestic and foreign branches of the intelligence services as this is relevant especially to the security of border communities. Concerns were also raised of the competition between the two services which may lead to poor information-sharing that is detrimental to national security.

They welcomed the split of the intelligence service into two agencies in their inputs as proposed by the Bill. Furthermore, the residents called for a good framework for collaboration and interaction. This framework in the Bill should include a provision for officially sanctioned, collaborated and coordinated information sharing between the domestic and foreign intelligence services as a collective as well as Defence Intelligence and the South African Police Services' Crime Intelligence Division. The absence of this collaboration makes it easy for cross border crime activities to take place.

Oral submissions made, also supported the repositioning of the intelligence academy as an entity in order to capacitate intelligence services which will produce skilled intelligence agents in order to avoid future incidences like the July 2021 unrests.

The committee is grateful to the residents of Nkomazi Local Municipality for the oral submissions they made on the Bill. Tomorrow, the committee will continue with public hearings in the province in Msukaligwa Local Municipality at Mayor's Palour in the Gert Sibande District Municipality.