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Residents of the North West province told the Ad Hoc Committee on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill in the National Council of Provinces that the planned restructuring of South Africa’s intelligence services as envisaged in the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (GILAB) must also strengthen security at the country’s ports of entry.

During public hearings conducted by the committee in the Mogwase Local Municipality yesterday the residents said the country’s porous borders were the biggest threat to state security and that the improved intelligence services must address that.

They declared their full support for the Bill which seeks to introduce reforms to the state intelligence services as per the recommendations of the High-Level Review Panel on the State Security Agency (SSA).

The citizens blamed weak border controls for the influx of foreign nationals who come into the country illegally and, allegedly commit crimes such as drug dealing, human trafficking, kidnappings, manufacture illegal goods and forcing out local small business operators through anticompetitive business practice.

They told the committee that they support the Bill with the hope that it will result in improved state security and strengthen border controls and stop corruption at the Department of Home Affairs. Some residents raised fears and questioned whether the Bill will not compromise citizens’ privacy in the name of trying to protect them.

The Chairperson of the committee, Mr Kenneth Mmoiemang, said while the Bill aimed to implement the recommendations of the 2018 High Level Review Panel on the State Security(SSA), the 2021 July unrests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, also gave impetus to the need to reorganise the country’s intelligence services.

He added: “We need to balance the work of the intelligence, in data collection, and the rule of law in protecting citizens’ privacy, and from the lessons learnt in July 2021the national intelligence service must up their game so we are not caught by surprise.  

The Bill proposes to split the SSA into domestic and foreign intelligence services. This restructuring aims to improve the efficiency, specialisation and accountability of the intelligence services, while strengthening coordination and oversight.

Issued By The Parliamentary Communication Services On Behalf Of The Chairperson Of The Ad Hoc Committee On The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, Mr Kenneth Mmoiemang.