Looking beneath the cloak: An analysis of intelligence governance in South Africa

This paper seeks to analyse the current state of governance of the South African intelligence community

The governance of the intelligence sector presents a unique set of challenges to democratic governance and the practice of the principles of transparency, accountability and participation. South Africa has experienced a transition to democracy, which has been accompanied by reforms to the security sector of the state. The intelligence services have not been immune to the deepening vibrancy of the democratic South African state. Mechanisms of control and accountability have been established, and democratic oversight as prescribed by the Constitution is exercised through a parliamentary committee. The reputation of the intelligence community has, however, been tarnished by scandals, allegations of misuse of power and position, partisanship, lack of professionalism and poor-quality intelligence products.

This paper seeks to analyse the current state of governance of the South African intelligence community and ascertain whether or not indications of an evolution towards greater accountability, transparency, participation, efficiency and effectiveness are evident.

About the author

Lauren Hutton is a researcher with the Defence Sector Programme of the Institute for Security Studies. As part of the African Security Sector Governance Project, she works on broader issues relating to Security Sector Reform in Africa, in particular on the democratic governance and oversight of the security services. In 2007, Lauren began focusing on intelligence sector reform and governance in South Africa and made a submission to the Ministerial Review Commission on Intelligence in this regard.