Presentation by the Minister of Police
- Background: Establishment of the Unit within SARS
- Sikhakhane Report: Findings in relation to the Unit
- Procurement of Technology and Assets by the Unit
- List of some of the Technology and Assets procured
Background: Establishment of the “Unit” within
SARS
- As opposed to what had been contemplated in the memorandum addressed to the Minister of Finance, the Unit was no longer a ring-fenced special capability within the NIA, but an entity within SARS.
- In total, 22 members were recruited into the unit.
- All members were recruited for their intelligence background
- Some of the members were already SARS employees who were simply transferred into the Unit.
- The recruitment was handled outside the normal HR processes prevailing at the time.
- Following a media coverage of the alleged “Rogue Unit” on 11 June 2014, the then Acting Commissioner of SARS, Mr Ivan Pillay instituted an investigation led by an Attorney, Mr Moeti Kanyane. Mr Kanyane, in his findings, recommended a further investigation, given the limited scope of his mandate.
- On 3 September 2014, Mr Ivan Pillay commissioned a further investigation by Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane SC, based on the recommendations from the Kanyane report.
- The report from Advocate Sikhakhane found, amongst others, that:
- The unlawful establishment of a unit that operated ostensibly in a covert manner, has created a climate of intrigue, fear and subterfuge within the organisation;
- The establishment of the unit without having the requisite statutory authority was indeed unlawful;
- The is prima facie evidence that the unit may have abused its power and resources by engaging in activities that reside in other agencies of Government, and which it had no lawful authority to perform;
- The report from Advocate Sikhakhane found, amongst others, that:
- There is prima facie evidence the recruitment, funding and practices of the unit were in violation of SARS’s own Human Resource Policy;
- There is prima facie evidence that the existence of this unit had the real possibility of undermining the work of those agencies tasked with the investigation of organised crime and collection of intelligence; and
- There is prima facie evidence suggesting that the activities of the Special Projects Unit may have included rogue behavior that had the potential to damage the reputation of SARS as an organ of state.
- In addition, the Sikhakhane Report recommended to the new Commissioner of SARS, Mr Tom Moyane, that he institute a more detailed investigation. Mr Moyane then commissioned KPMG to conduct a forensic investigation.
Procurement of Technology and Assets
- One of the members was an expert in intelligence equipment.
- He was responsible for the procurement of the equipment that was used to do surveillance in NPA offices.
- He was subsequently moved from the Unit into the Anti- Corruption and Security unit also known as ACAS.
- Most of the intelligence equipment was procured through ACAS, and was also used to spy on SARS employees.
- According to the copies of Purchase Order at our disposal, the procurement of security-related technology would have commenced around mid-2009. We however, cannot with certainty, vouch that this it was only around this time that the Unit started procuring such equipment.
|
Purchase Order |
Date |
Equipment Description/Purpose |
Amount - R |
|
|
4500107608 |
22.07.2009 |
NTS Countermeasure … deluxe countersurveillance probe monitor |
55 886.00 |
|
|
4500107609 |
22.07.2009 |
NTS Countermeasure .. Linear junction detector |
176 700.00 |
|
|
4500107610 |
22.07.2009 |
NTS Countermeasure equip … 5000 spectral correlator |
222 300.00 |
|
|
4500107611 |
22.07.2009 |
NTS Countermeasure equip … telephone and line analyser |
216 020.00 |
|
|
4500112548 |
26.10.2009 |
Basic course in electronic eavesdropping (michael schutte) |
49 590.00 |
|
|
4500114215 |
24.11.2009 |
NTS Countermeasure - DMC3 Detector of Mobile and wireless activity |
8 265.00 |
|
|
4500114420 |
30.11.2009 |
Supply - VS-125 Wireless video camera detector |
9 120.00 |
|
|
4500125532 |
26.17.2010 |
Advance course in electromnic detection (Mario van Aardt s2016645) |
18 240.00 |
|
|
4500126567 |
19.08.2010 |
Basic course in electronic eavesdropping (Ingrid Yegappen ) |
36 480.00 |
|
|
4500146457 |
10.10.2011 |
Wolfhound Pro |
28 500.00 |
|
|
4500150084 |
10.01.2012 |
X Sweeper Spectrum sweeper |
18 634.71 |
|
|
4500150537 |
23.01.2012 |
TG-VCAL J56 Signal Jammer |
5 928.00 |
|
|
4500150551 |
23.01.2012 |
CPM-700 deluxe countersurveillance probe monitor |
35 520.00 |
|
|
4500150553 |
23.01.2012 |
ETA-3A single line telephone analyser |
58 653.00 |
|
|
4500150937 |
30.01.2012 |
Signet Advanced counter surveillance RF detector |
20 804.00 |
|
|
4500151377 |
07.02.2012 |
Signet Mobile GSM phone detector |
20 805.00 |
|
|
4500152022 |
16.02.2012 |
FA Pinhole lenses |
16 445.00 |
|
|
4500152134 |
17.02.2012 |
COSE120ST Zoom pinhole lenses |
169 860.00 |
|
|
4500154640 |
30.03.2012 |
GSM module call mynah (consummables) |
1 573.20 |
|
|
4500165358 |
10.12.2012 |
cellular detector-surveillance countermeasure Winkelman GSM196 with SA918 |
23 558.10 |
|
|
4500165535 |
14.12.2012 |
HAWK XTS - surveillance countermeasure equip |
190 603.80 |
|
|
4500166611 |
31.01.2013 |
Oscor (Goen) spectrum analyser (8Ghz) |
237 758.84 |
|
|
4500166657 |
01.02.2013 |
mark II hand held receiver |
22 539.65 |
|
|
4500184795 |
31.01.2014 |
fluke aircheck wi-fi tester |
40 346.88 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 684 131.18 |
|
- The above spreadsheet reflects equipment purchased between July 2009 and July 2014.
- As stated earlier in the presentation, this list may not be exhaustive, and that additional information may still be found within the procurement division of SARS.
- Accordingly, efforts are currently underway to locate as much information as possible in this regard.
- The above spreadsheet does however, provide a sense of the extent to which this Unit, under the guise of ACAS, went about in procuring security-related technology and assets.