DA wants NIA resignation letter

2011-09-11 22:49

Johannesburg - The Democratic Alliance asked State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele for a copy of national intelligence agency head Gibson Njenje's resignation letter on Sunday, following reports that Njenje had been forced out of his post.

The party's Dirk Stubbe said he had asked the minister "to fully explain what is going on" in the department.

"If Mr Njenje has indeed resigned, he must go quietly so that the department can get on with its job of protecting state security.

"If Mr Njenje has not resigned, then the minister is lying and it is he who should resign," Stubbe said, adding that a copy of the resignation letter would resolve the impasse.

Stubbe said he would also ask Cwele to explain allegations of illegal surveillance of ministers and reports that the ANC Youth League had "unfettered" access to state security information.

Sunday newspapers reported that the ministry had said Njenje had resigned, but the spy chief denied this.

The Sunday Independent quoted him as saying: "I am planning to go to work on Monday. I am in talks with the minister about things that I can't talk about. But I am not aware that I have resigned."

City Press reported that Cwele had asked secret service boss Mo Shaik and the head of the state security agency, Jeff Maqetuka, to quit, but said they had refused and sought legal advice.

According to the Sunday Independent, Njenje, Shaik and Maqetuka recently complained to President Jacob Zuma about difficulty in their relationship with Cwele.

Njenje is reported to have been unhappy about "unauthorised" operations that flew in the face of his efforts to ensure that the NIA is not exploited for political purposes.

City Press said he was also unhappy about a decision to grant Cwele's wife Sheryl full intelligence protection throughout her drug trafficking trial.

- SAPA