No slush fund being used within SSA, says Ntshaveni

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni said there’s no slush fund being used within the State Security Agency (SSA).

This, despite testimony at the Zondo Commission about the looting of SSA funds and its use to wage political battles.

Answering questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Ntshaveni told the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) its questions were misdirected and that all funds within the SSA are audited and accounted for.

Ntshaveni said the National Treasury has sight of all the SSA’s expenditure and no funds are spent in secret.

“The SSA operates within a regulated framework, fully audited by the Auditor General of South Africa.”

Ntshaveni said the Auditor General doesn’t have access to funds spent on agents.

This expenditure, she said, is overseen by the Inspector General of Intelligence and shared with Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence, which meets in secret.

“I am responsible for the SSA that operates within a regulated framework. There are no slush funds that are not overseen.”

While the EFF’s Veronica Mente was not buying the explanation, Ntshaveni suggested the party was confusing secret service funds with the Crime Intelligence funds of the police and the defence force.

Again, Ntshaveni insisted that the SSA was operating in line with the Public Finance Management Act and that current mechanisms to keep a watch on all state security expenditure are working.