President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI) Imtiaz Fazel, with immediate effect.
According to Ramaphosa, the suspension stems from an investigation by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) into Fazel’s conduct.
Ramaphosa said that he has received a complaint from JSCI regarding the conduct of Fazel, and that the committee is investigating him in accordance with Section 7(4) and 7(5) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act (Act 40 of 1994).
“Section 7(5) of the Act stipulates that if the Inspector-General is the subject of an investigation by the JSCI in terms of subsection (4), he or she may be suspended by the President pending a decision in such investigation.
Fazel has been suspended with immediate effect,” said the presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
Fazel was appointed in 2022, on a five-year term which was set to end in October 2027.
His suspension comes amid the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry and Parliament Ad-Hoc Committee hearings, where the work of the country’s intelligence sector has come under scrutiny.
The IGI’s mandate includes monitoring and reviewing the operations of South Africa’s intelligence services the State Security Agency, Defence Intelligence Division of the South African National Defence Force, and the Crime Intelligence Division of the South African Police Service to ensure they operate within the framework of the law and the Constitution.
