The alarming accusations made by Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi about intelligence information being in the hands of members of parliament and, more disturbingly, those allegedly running drug cartels, signal a profound crisis in the custodianship of state information.
This is not a uniquely SA problem; the issue of high-level officials mishandling sensitive data has become a global phenomenon, a corrosive trend that threatens the very foundations of democratic governance and public trust.
The Mkhwanazi allegations, heard at the Madlanga commission, paint a grim picture of a security apparatus compromised from within.
His strong condemnation of two members of parliament, including Fadiel Adams, founder of the National Coloured Congress (NCC), for allegedly misusing crime intelligence information to open three criminal cases, suggests a dangerous blurring of the lines between state security and partisan political manoeuvring.
When the tools of the state’s intelligence are weaponised or, worse, treated as personal assets, the state itself becomes vulnerable.
This internal rot is further evidenced by the astonishing leak of a letter from police minister Senzo Mchunu, which detailed the instruction for the disbandment of the political killings task team (PKTT) directly into the hands of an alleged underworld cartel.
The criminal elements the state is meant to be fighting are being pre-warned and pre-armed with the state’s own operational plans. This is not merely a breach of protocol; it is a catastrophic failure of security that suggests deep-seated infiltration and corruption, echoing the worst aspects of the state capture era.
This SA reality is mirrored across the globe, suggesting a systemic failure in the post-truth political landscape where personal ambition trumps national security. Consider the case of John Bolton, the former national security adviser to US president Donald Trump.
Bolton, once a meticulous defender of US foreign policy against rivals like Russia and China, has since become a prominent critic of his former boss, Trump.
However, his own actions have recently mirrored the very recklessness he now criticises. He stands accused of taking highly sensitive state information from his time in office and sharing it in an irresponsible manner for the purposes of writing a memoir.
Bolton is alleged to have taken notes containing state secrets to write his book and to have shared sensitive information from state meetings with his family.
The gravity of this situation was underscored when his computer, containing state-sensitive information, was reportedly hacked by an individual suspected to be Iranian, leading to blackmail attempts.
The idea that a former national security adviser could be compromised in such a way is a frightening indictment of the security culture at the highest levels of power.
This culture of carelessness is not exclusive to Bolton. Trump himself was accused of taking classified documents and storing them carelessly at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The sheer volume and sensitivity of the documents found, including those related to nuclear capabilities, demonstrated a shocking disregard for the protocols designed to protect national security.
A similar, though ultimately unresolved, situation played out in the UK. Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, a former House of Commons researcher, were accused of passing sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence agent between 2021 and 2023.
While the charges were ultimately dropped, the mere allegation highlighted the constant, insidious threat of foreign intelligence agencies seeking to exploit vulnerabilities within the political establishment.
The common thread in SA, Washington, and Westminster is a profound lack of respect for the sanctity of state secrets. This is more than just a security issue; it is a crisis of accountability.
When those entrusted with the highest offices treat classified information as personal property, the public’s faith in the institutions of the state collapses. This erosion of trust creates a vacuum, allowing conspiracy theories to flourish and making it impossible for the state to govern effectively.
Our state, and indeed all sovereign states, must urgently find a way to ensure that its information is robustly guarded and protected. The leaking of sensitive state information fundamentally compromises state functionality and national security, making it easier for criminal cartels and foreign adversaries to operate.
Every member of the cabinet receives information classified as private and secret, meant only for discussion in cabinet meetings or for the state principals. The state needs to start monitoring the custodians of this information with far greater scrutiny.
The vetting process for those with access to sensitive data must be continuous, unyielding, and rigorously enforced to ensure that our state security is not infiltrated.
The current situation severely jeopardises the state when its secrets fall into the wrong hands, and the global parade of compromised officials proves that the state is not putting strict rules or monitoring the custodian of the state information, which the integrity of the state depends on.
- Mabasa is a development economist and co-chairperson of Brics Youth Council
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