South African Secret Service

South African Secret Service
Agency overview
Formed	1 January 1994
Preceding agency	National Intelligence Service;
Jurisdiction	Government of South Africa
Headquarters	Arcadia Building, Pretoria
Minister responsible	Ayanda Dlodlo, Minister of State Security;
Agency executive	Mr Robert McBride, Director;
Website	www.sass.gov.za Archived 28 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine

The South African Secret Service (SASS) was the previous name of a South African intelligence agency. Currently, it is known as the Foreign Branch of the State Security Agency. It is responsible for all non-military foreign intelligence and for counterintelligence within the Service itself. It is also responsible for gathering, correlating, evaluating and analysing this intelligence.

History

The SASS was formed in 1994 following South African first multiracial elections.^[1] It was created to take over the foreign intelligence functions of the now-defunct National Intelligence Service (NIS), with the domestic intelligence responsibilities taken up by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).^[2] Both the SASS and NIA were created as part of the Intelligence Act of 1994. The service performs intelligence at the request of the President and the Minister of State Security.^[3] The Service is run by a Director-General. Prior to 2009, the Service was a self-governing organisation which was a member of the National Intelligence Co-Ordinating Committee (NICOC). Since 2009, the South African Secret Service is now a division of the State Security Agency (South Africa) and still responsible for foreign intelligence, retaining its own branch Director.^[4] The State Security Agency Director General and the SASS foreign intelligence Director in turn report via the National Intelligence Co-Ordinating Committee to the Minister of State Security.^[5] In August 2013, the Minister for State Security, Siyabonga Cwele, announced the new foreign intelligence Director as Batandwa Siswana. Other appointments made at the same time were Joyce Mashele as deputy director general for collection, Africa and Matshidiso Mhlambo as deputy director general for the rest of the world.^[6]

Directors-General

1995 – 1996 Mike Louw^[7]^: 346
1996 – 1999 Billy Masetlha^[7]^: 346
1999 – 2009 Hilton Dennis^[7]^: 347
2009 – 2012 Mo Shaik^[8]
2012 – 2013 Simon Ntombela (acting DG)^[6]
2013 – 2016 Batandwa Siswana^[6]
2016 – 2020 Joyce Mashele (acting DG)^[9]
2020 – 2021 (suspended) Robert McBride^[9]^[10]
2021–present Joyce Mashele (acting DG)^[11]

Current status

The Service is extremely secretive about its operations, and thus few details reach the public. However, when taking current South African policy and concerns into account, it appears the attentions of the SASS are currently focused on two main areas: The activities of Al-Qaeda and similar groups abroad in relation to South Africa's security, and the activities of illegal South African mercenaries, most especially in parts of Africa and Iraq. The South African Secret Service is one of the elite intelligence organisations in Africa; another is the State Security Service in Nigeria.

In popular culture

The SASS appear in the 2017–2018 Millarworld comic book series Kingsman: The Red Diamond, primarily embodied by Agent Kwaito.^[12]

References

^ Turton, A.R. 2021. South African Secret Service as a Caretaker Structure: The Evolution of the Civilian Intelligence Services Under Democracy and the Lessons Learned. In Nongqai, Journal of National Security History in Southern Africa, Vol. 12; No. 5. Available online at Nongqai Vol 12 No 5 by Hennie Heymans - Issuu
^ Turton, A.R. 2021. Understanding the Evolution of the National Intelligence Service and its Contribution to South African Democracy. In Nongqai, Journal of National Security History in Southern Africa, Vol. 12; No. 4. Pp. Available online at Nongqai Vol 12 No 4 by Hennie Heymans - Issuu
^ "South African Secret Service (SASS)". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
^ "Intelligence body restructured". News24. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
^ http://d2zmx6mlqh7g3a.cloudfront.net/cdn/farfuture/7TrxbDKmYUARbzqmK9nreAdUsQ_yCICvusd-gXkkXkw/mtime:1381381054/files/130416bversion_of_bill.pdf ^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c "Cwele announces new appointments in intelligence". M&G. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sanders, James (2006). Apartheid's Friends. The Rise and Fall of South Africa's Secret Services. Great Britain: John Murray(Publishers). ISBN 978-0719566752.
^ "Mo Shaik named new secret service chief". M&G. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
^ ^a ^b Hunter, Qaanitah (17 July 2020). "What McBride's appointment means for the country's intelligence services". News24. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
^ Kahla, Cheryl (9 July 2021). "Robert McBride suspension: New drama around SSA foreign branch head". The Citizen. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^ "State Security Agency rejects claims about foreign deployment of retired members". gov.za. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
^ Schedeen, Jesse (5 September 2017). "Kingsman: The Red Diamond #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 7 September 2017.