By Jacobs Botha, Johannesburg
South Africa’s National Assembly has approved the nomination of Imtiaz Ahmed Fazel for appointment as the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) .
The approval was made in line with Section 7(1) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act, No. 40 of 1994 at the National Assembly’s plenary sitting on Tuesday.
In a statement, Parliament said: “The [Intelligence Services Oversight] Act mandates the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) to recommend a candidate for approval by at least two thirds of the National Assembly Members.
“Once the House approves the recommendation, the name is then sent to the President of the Republic of South Africa to consider the nominee for appointment as an IGI. The IGI position became vacant on 15 March 2022.”
Parliament said JSCI embarked on a thorough appointment process, which included the publishing of an advertisement in national and local newspapers in all official languages on 2 June 2021.
“A number of inquiries were received after the closing date and necessitated the committee to extend the closing date to enable those who missed the advertisement an opportunity to apply for the position.
“The committee extended the deadline to 30 September 2021 to ensure maximum public consultation and participation on the work of Parliament, as it was cognisant of the importance of the position.
“The committee received a total of 25 applications for the position, which, following a thorough screening process, were found to meet the requirements, in terms of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act.
“The JSCI shortlisted 12 candidates for interviews in relevant areas regarding the role and functions of the IGI, based on the Constitution, the Act, other relevant legislation, and other matters such as the High-Level Review Panel report.”
Following deliberations, the JSCI resolved by a simple majority of members present to nominate Mr Imtiaz Ahmed Fazel for approval by the National Assembly, and for recommendation to the President for appointment as the IGI.
The sitting also approved a report of the Portfolio Committee on Communications for the appointment of four candidates to serve on the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) Council in terms of f section 5(1B) of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act (Act No 13 of 2000).
The four candidates are: Ms Nompucuko Nontombana, Ms Dikeledi Mushi, Ms Thabisa Faye and Ms Ntombiza Sithole.
