Secret service launches web site
4 October 2004
The South African Secret Service last week launched a web site, which is aimed at giving the public a glimpse of the world of a foreign intelligence agency.
The site, South African Secret Service will help keep the public informed of the role, developments and challenges that the agency faces.
The SASS, along with the domestic intelligence service, the National Intelligence Agency, fall under the authority of the Department of Intelligence headed by minister Ronnie Kasrils.
The SASS and the NIA were formed 10 years ago through the amalgamation of the various intelligence and security arms of the former government, the African National Congress, the Pan African Congress and those of the former homeland governments.
None of these services have an executive function, such as making arrests – which is the mandate of the South African Police Service.
According to the spokeswoman of the
Department of Intelligence, Lorna Daniels, the launch of the SASS web site complements the NIA's site National Intelligence Agency, which was launched two years ago.
"The web sites feature a history, a 10-year review, frequently asked questions, the structure, oversight and control mechanism, and the legal framework under which the services perform their functions," said Daniels.
"The web site will provide the public with an understanding of the mandate of the service, and we hope that the public will play a greater role in helping us to achieve our goals," said SASS director-general Hilton Dennis.
Daniels said the intelligence services specialise in obtaining information "that is not readily accessible" and that a lot of this information comes from "open sources" such as periodicals and the electronic media, including TV and the Internet.
Daniels added that the SASS and NIA sites are for information purposes only
and no monitoring capabilities have been activated.
The Office for Interception, a government agency that will be responsible for electronic eavesdropping, is still being set up and should be activated early next year, she said.
"The requirement for the Office for Interception has been spelled out in the Regulation of Interception and Provision of Communication of Information Act of 2002," Daniels said.
Source: BuaNews
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