Who the State Security Agency reports to should not depend on current roleplayers
Whether national security should be located inside or outside the presidency must be considered based on functionality and constitutional values
Billy Masetlha
The well-connected Mr KLamp
The Zambian fugitive behind a dubious circumcision project in KZN has friends in high places in SA, including a president, a king and an ex-spy boss.
Zuma plot fallout continues
The ANC’s Billy Masetlha has become the first senior member to openly say the alleged plot to oust Jacob Zuma as ANC president next year is real.
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‘I was right about the left’
Booed last week, Billy Masetlha now feels vindicated by President Jacob Zuma’s handling of affairs.
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ANC’s civil war with the left hots up
The battle lines have been drawn between moderates and leftists in the ANC following a stern warning by ANC president Jacob Zuma.
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ANC distances itself from Masetlha’s comments
The ANC said on Friday it had “read with regret” comments in the <i>M&G</i> attributed to national executive member Billy Masetlha.
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Spooks haunt our democracy
Nothing demonstrates the power of secret information more starkly than the withdrawal of corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma.
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Mbeki to turn down nomination for Parliament
Former president Thabo Mbeki plans to turn down his place on the ANC’s Gauteng list of candidates for the National Assembly.
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Motau’s odd company
Intelligence boss’s government duties, business interests are in clear conflict, write Stefaans Brümmer, Nic Dawes and Sam Sole.
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Magistrate not available for hoax-email case
The fraud trial of former spy boss Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused has been postponed in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court.
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Kasrils slams ‘Disneyland’ Billy
The day he realised that Billy Masetlha was “ingratiating” himself with Jacob Zuma, it dawned on Ronnie Kasrils that he could no longer trust the man.
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Masetlha tried to ‘advance Zuma’s career’
Former spy boss Billy Masetlha had tried to advance Jacob Zuma’s political career, the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court heard on Thursday.
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I was wary of Masetlha, Kasrils tells court
Former spy boss Billy Masetlha was described by Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils on Wednesday as ”misleading” and someone to be ”wary” of.
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Warning: A shift at the Constitutional Court
After the Constitutional Court judgements in the Clicks case, in which the majority set aside regulations dealing with pricing and dispensing of medicine, legal commentators raised the question as to whether a significant minority of the court — who appeared to adopt a more pro-executive position — would influence the future direction of the court.
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Masetlha hoax-email case postponed
The fraud case against former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused was postponed in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday. The case against Masetlha, IT specialist Muziwendoda Kunene and former NIA manager for electronic surveillance Funokwakhe Madlala was postponed to June 11 to 13.
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Hoax-email accused’s computer files examined
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court adjourned on Tuesday with no clear answer on how many files on accused Muziwendoda Kunene’s computer were related to the ”hoax email” saga. This followed the cross-examination of state witness and computer expert Senior Superintendent Bernard Grobler.
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Masetlha hoax-email case postponed in court
The alleged fraud case against former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director general Billy Masetlha and his two co-accused was postponed in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on Monday. The charges relate to alleged hoax emails implicating senior African National Congress members in a conspiracy against Jacob Zuma.
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ANC strapped in for bumpy ride
Jacob Zuma makes his first keynote speech as African National Congress (ANC) leader on Saturday amid forecasts his election as head of South Africa’s ruling party will herald the biggest bout of turbulence since apartheid. All eyes will be on whether Zuma proffers an olive branch towards President Thabo Mbeki or stakes his claim as head of a rival centre of power.
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Zuma charges under spotlight ahead of ANC meeting
When the African National Congress (ANC) presents its traditional ”January 8” statement on its 96th birthday at a gathering in Pretoria next week, it will have to contend with the new charges its newly elected president faces — and reported threats against the authority of his predecessor, President Thabo Mbeki.
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Mbeki must account to Luthuli House, says Masetlha
Former National Intelligence Agency boss Billy Masetlha, newly elected to the African National Congress national executive committee, says President Thabo Mbeki and his Cabinet will be ”recalled” from their government positions unless they ”account” to Luthuli House, Business Day reported on Friday.
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Wanted: A job, any job
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=ancconference_home"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/327874/livefrompolo.gif" align=left border=0></a>In the aftermath of Tuesday’s top six election, several senior Cabinet ministers and their aides are now getting their CVs together and are suddenly looking forward to the <i>Mail & Guardian</i> jobs section on Friday — they realise their future in a Zuma government and ANC is not looking very bright.
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Eve of anticipation in Polokwane
An atmosphere of excited anticipation took hold in a hot Polokwane, Limpopo province, on Saturday as thousands of delegates to the African National Congress’s (ANC) 52nd national conference arrived by bus, car and taxi. Buses from all over the country jostled for space with large pedestrian groups of ANC supporters from various provinces.
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Kunene to be charged with murder, court hears
Muziwendoda Kunene, the man caught up in the hoax-email saga, will be charged with murder, the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court heard on Monday. Prosecutor Simon Maluleka told the court that Kunene would be charged with the October murder of Ballito real-estate agent Lynne Hume. His eldest son is a witness in that case, Maluleka told the court.
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Kunene’s attempted murder case postponed
Muziwendoda Kunene, the man caught up in the hoax-email saga, had his attempted murder case postponed on Monday. Kunene appeared in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court ion the morning for allegedly shooting his 24-year-old son, Msebenzi Kunene.
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Kunene to appear in court for attempted murder
Muziwendoda Kunene, the man caught up in the ”hoax email” saga, is expected to appear in the Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court on Monday facing charges of attempted murder. Kunene was arrested in Kranskop in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday. The attempted murder charge was laid by his son.
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Billy Masetlha acquitted
Former spy boss Billy Masetlha was on Wednesday found not to have contravened the Intelligence Oversight Act by the Hatfield Community Court in Pretoria. His acquittal on charges of withholding information from Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani was greeted by loud applause from the public gallery.
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ANCYL throws weight behind Zuma
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its weight behind Jacob Zuma for president of the ANC, with current president Thabo Mbeki not featuring on its list of 66 nominations released in Johannesburg on Friday. ”We didn’t support him [Mbeki] for president of the ANC,” said ANCYL president Fikile Mbalula.
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Classified documents: Court warned of ‘disaster’
It would be a recipe for disaster if the intelligence services had to apply to the courts every time it wanted classified documents kept from the public, the Constitutional Court heard on Thursday. ”This would be hopelessly impractical,” said David Unterhalter, counsel for the Intelligence Ministry and the Presidency.
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FXI due in court over Masetlha documents
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) will appear in the Constitutional Court on Thursday in the case of Independent Newspapers versus the minister of intelligence. The FXI said on Wednesday it would argue that Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils did not follow proper procedure when trying to withhold certain documents from the public.
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Hoax email man shot in Pretoria
IT specialist Muziwendoda Kunene — one of the men allegedly behind the hoax email saga — was shot in Pretoria on Wednesday. The incident comes after Kunene claimed that senior members of the African National Congress were plotting to assassinate him. The party dismissed his claims as a ”conjured-up story”.
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Masetlha ‘had no political ambitions’
Former spy boss Billy Masetlha had no political ambitions and would have retired as National Intelligence Agency director general had he not been fired, the Hatfield Community Court heard on Friday. He is charged with allegedly withholding information from Inspector General of Intelligence Zolile Ngcakani.
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Witness corroborates Masetlha testimony
One of the witnesses recalled in the case of former spy boss Billy Masetlha on Friday corroborated evidence that the inspector general of intelligence was sent a report — which he had asked for — on September 30 2005. Although Masetlha’s former personal assistant Nokuthula Motshwane could not be in court, she gave evidence through an affidavit.
