Minister of State Security
The DG and Senior officials from SSA Esteemed Policy Experts and Commentators
Ladies and gentlemen
Introduction
Thank you Programme Director for the opportunity to say a few words on the purpose of this very important occasion we are having today. We are indeed very grateful that you chose to spend this Friday morning with us, to discuss important matters regarding our constitutional democracy.
Purpose of meeting
When this 5th administration took office following the successful election in May 2014, His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma, made a clear commitment that this government will work closely with its people and interact with a number of stakeholders in building a better country and a prosperous nation.
It is for this reason that as a country we adopted the theme, Together moving South Africa forward, as a theme that will drive all our work because we believe in building meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with stakeholders and communities we serve.
On Wednesday this week, 8 April 2015, we were at the Libombo Border Post, interacting with communities and stakeholders around issues of border security.
Today's seminar falls within the context of the Imbizo Focus Week, in which government is engaging with communities and stakeholders, such as yourselves, about the work we are doing.
The theme of this seminar is, Perspectives on the role of state security in a democracy: balancing human rights and national security. The question we must ask ourselves is to what extent are we, as a country, able to balance the issue of human rights and national security considerations? With our turbulent and painful history, our forebears drafted in our Constitution specific provisions around human rights in order to ensure that the pain and suffering that was inflicted upon the oppressed majority by an illegitimate regime, remain a thing of the past.
Our constitution, which is the envy of many, makes provision for the existence of the security services and charges them to uphold the constitutional order and the rule of law in order for all of us to exercise our rights as enshrined in the Bill of Rights and to preserve our collective way of life as South Africans.
In its preamble the Constitution enjoins us to attend to four tasks.
These are to:
1. “heal the division of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights
2. lay the foundation for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law
3. improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
4. build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations”.
Within our space, as the State Security Agency, we have specific mandates that the law assigns to us. It would be interesting to know whether in your view we are living up to our mandate. How do we advance and balance the rights in our Bill of Rights with the work we are doing to secure this country, its people and its critical infrastructure?
These are some of the questions that we must grapple with today and it is our fervent hope that we will do so in a frank, informative and critical manner.
President Zuma, in addressing the civilian intelligence services in 2012, had this to say. “Intelligence work involves secret work, which may, at face value, appear to outsiders to be unrelated to government objectives. We still need to raise awareness that intelligence work is actually intended to advance government programs and objectives. It is not smoke and mirrors, spies and cameras as it is made out to be”.
As State Security Agency, we value your input and we invite you, as policy experts, policy and political commentators, to continue to sharpen the level and quality of debate on these and many others important issues facing our young democracy.
I will now call upon the Minister of State Security, Mr David Mahlobo, to make some opening remarks and lay the basis for the seminar.
I thank you.
