By: Natasha Archary
The first time the thought of agents and spies operating in South Africa hit home for Sizwe Dhlomo, was when Bulelani Ngcuka was accused of being a spy.
Growing up, international espionage was something that was reserved strictly for movies for Kaya Drive’s Sizwe Dhlomo.
Movies like James Bond 007, painted a thrilling life of an MI6 agent. The Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom provided an embellished look at the life of a spy.
Deep under cover aliases, covering up of international crimes that the UK government were embroiled in, the movies seemed like a far stretch of the imagination.
Ngcuka, a South African attorney, prosecutor and activist, who served as the first Director of Public Prosecutions, was exiled in the 80s under suspicion that he was an apartheid spy.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Drive:
Agents and spies
International and intelligence espionage is not however, such a far-fetched notion, and both operate in SA politics.
Spies working for the state fall into two categories: intelligence officers and agents.
This makes EFF leader, Julius Malema’s insults to other politicians seem relatable as he often calls political leaders, “bloody agents.”
The country’s intelligence services, the NIS (National Intelligence Services) is often referred to as a defunct agency which replaced the Bureau of State Security (BOSS).
In some cases, agents and spies go so deep under cover to fit in and pose as a normal individual that it’s almost creepy how they assume a role or identity to gain intelligence or intel.
The methods used to get intel vary and could be as simple as eavesdropping on a conversation in public or tapping cellphones or landlines.
Foreign intelligence seeks to typically discern whether there’s any immediate threats on the country or President.
Also read: Giwusa calls for abolition of royalty in South Africa
