http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20060331020537930C995302
Kasrils apologises for bugging ANC pair
By Angela Quintal
Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils has apologised to two senior
African National Congress officials who were illegally "bugged".
He also personally handed over transcripts of the intercepted
communications to the pair.
ANC national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama and ANC chief whip Mbulelo
Goniwe were the only two - of the 13 individuals and entities
illegally targeted - to have their voice communications successfully
intercepted, Kasrils stated.
'He was just not around'
This was because they were visiting neighbouring states, where the
satellite was directed at the time. It is believed they were in
Botswana and Swaziland.
It is understood that the phone numbers of others were loaded onto
the interception system of the National Communications Centre (NCC),
but there were no "hits" and therefore no successful interception of
their voice communications.
These included the numbers of ANC businessmen Cyril Ramaphosa and
Saki Macozoma, the Democratic Alliance's parliamentary office and the
office phone of a mid-level official in the presidency in Pretoria.
Inspector-General Zolile Ngcakani found in his report on the hoax
email saga that the targeting of individuals was not in keeping with
the practice and culture of bulk interceptions. The normal focus was
the targeted bulk interception of foreign communications.
Ngcakani noted that the then National Intelligence Agency's
director-general, Billy Masetlha, was acting executive director of
the NCC at the time.
Meanwhile it was established on Thursday that preparations for the
physical surveillance of Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon was in
place, but that he escaped the indignity of being watched because "he
was just not around".
Former newspaper editor Anton Harber was also tailed for about 10
days but was not aware of this - unlike Macozoma, who was alerted to
the fact that he and his family were being spied on because of the
ineptitude of those doing the surveillance.
On Thursday Kasrils moved to clarify that while the DA's
parliamentary offices had been targeted, no information had been intercepted.
While the minister did not expand on the satellite method for bulk
interceptions, he did make clear that there were no bugs, listening
or recording devices planted in homes or offices or on the
parliamentary premises.
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on March 31, 2006
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Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:26 CST