Frequently asked questions

* What does NIA do?

NIA serves the people of South Africa in two ways. Firstly, NIA provides government with intelligence on domestic threats or potential threats to national stability, the constitutional order, and the safety and well being of our people. Examples of such threats are terrorism, sabotage and subversion. This allows government to implement policies to deal with potential threats and to better understand existing threats and thus improve their policies.

Secondly, NIA fulfils the national counter intelligence responsibility. This includes both defensive and offensive activities. For example, on the defensive side, NIA advises government departments on their security measures; while on the offensive side NIA identifies, monitors and neutralises (with the co-operation of other government departments) foreign or hostile intelligence services that seek to gain access to classified information.

* What then is intelligence?

Intelligence services exist to promote the rational formulation of policy. Intelligence is simply policy relevant information that has been collected from all available sources of information, evaluated and analysed for a specific decision-maker. It ideally conforms to the following characteristics: relevance, accuracy, and timeliness. It aims to provide the decision makers with a clear understanding of the problem at hand to enable them to formulate, implement and evaluate policy effectively and efficiently.

* How does NIA collect its information?

NIA’s collection efforts are divided into two categories, namely the collection of open information and the collection of secret information. Both are required because open information clearly does not reveal all the intentions and plans or hidden agendas of organisations and persons involved in, for example terrorism or espionage. Hence, the need for secret information that is collected by covert means to gain a full understanding of threats.

* Who does NIA give its intelligence to?

NIA provides its intelligence through the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC) to a wide variety of clients. On a national level these include the President’s office, Parliament, Cabinet and Government Departments. On a regional level these include the Premier’s offices, Regional Governments and Departments.

* Does NIA publish its reports?

Not at present. NIA intelligence products are subject to the provisions of the Protection of Information Act, Act 84 of 1982 and cannot be made public. NIA does, however, comply fully with the requirements of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000.

* Who directs NIA’s activities?

NIA’s activities are directed by the South African government’s requirements. Thus, NIA responds to specific requests (what clients have requested), anticipated needs (what clients should know), and situational realities (critical events and developments).

* When will individuals, groups or organisations become a legitimate target for NIA investigations?

NIA will only investigate developments where there are indications of individuals, groups and/or organisations with deliberate intent to cause potential harm to the state or its citizens. Coupled to this, the likely intensity and magnitude of the impact on domestic security and stability would be important guiding tools for any further investigations.

* What types of activities does NIA focus on?

NIA focuses on individuals, groups and organisations that engage in the following:

Terrorism, which refers to the deliberate and premeditated attempts to create terror through symbolic acts involving the use or threats of lethal force for creating psychological effects that will influence a target group or individual and translate it into political or material results.

Sabotage, which refers to activities or purposeful omissions conducted or planned for purposes of endangering the safety, security or defence of vital public or private property, such as installations, structures, equipment or systems.

Subversion, which includes activities directed towards undermining by covert unlawful acts, or directed towards, or intended ultimately to lead to the destruction, or overthrow by violence of the constitutionally established system of government in South Africa.

Espionage, which is the unlawful or unauthorised activities conducted for acquiring information or assets relating to sensitive social, political, economic, scientific or military matters of South Africa or for their unauthorised communication to a foreign state.

Organised Crime, which refers to the origins of and reasons behind organised crime, to identify the key role players (corrupters and corruptees), the nature and extent, modus operandi, routes, etc and to do trend analysis.

* What is the difference between NIA’s approach to issues and that of other state departments?

The uniqueness of the task of NIA lies in its responsibility to monitor the entire domestic environment so as to explain the full scope of the nature of events and threats as well as the impact thereof on national security and stability. In comparison, other departments’ responsibilities are confined to those issues and threats directly related to the functions of the department, for example, the South African Police Service(SAPS) would focus on criminal activity only.

* Does NIA have any law enforcement powers?

No. NIA is an intelligence service, not a law enforcement institution. We are only responsible for ensuring that government is warned and informed of real and potential threats. Other government departments are responsible for the actions that must be taken to neutralise threats.

* Are the activities of NIA in anyway controlled?

As a point of departure, all actions undertaken by NIA must comply with the Constitution and the principle of the Rule of Law. There can be no question of NIA members being allowed to act as if they are above the law. Therefore all our actions are strictly controlled.

There are numerous internal and external controls. Adherence to the Constitution, our Legal Mandate and Acts of Parliament is supervised by Parliament via the Minister for Intelligence and the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence as well as the Inspector General of Intelligence and the Auditor General. Adherence to the Rule of Law is also put into practice by means of Ministerial Directives and internal policies.

These control measures aim to ensure that intrusive collection measures are only used where no other means are available to collect the information, and that when they are used, they are strictly controlled to prevent unnecessary infringement on the rights of citizens. An example of control is the Interception and Monitoring Act (Act 127 of 1992). NIA requires the permission of a judge before it can monitor any postal articles, telegrams and telecommunication lines. Such permission is only given if NIA can justify why it is necessary to monitor the individual, and is only granted for a limited period. Should NIA wish to extend the monitoring, a further motivation to the judge is required. The judge that grants permission also reports to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.

* How could I assist NIA?

If you believe you may have information that may be useful to NIA and wish to contact us, the following channels are available:

Phone: National Operational Centre (012) 427 4903

E-mail address: noc@nia.gov.za

Or write to: NIA

Private Bag X87

Pretoria

0001

* How many people does NIA employ?

The exact number of employees of NIA is kept secret, as it will reveal the potential capabilities of the Agency.

* Where does NIA have offices?

NIA’s head office is situated on a farm on the outskirts of Pretoria. It is generally known as Musanda. NIA also has offices in all nine provinces of South Africa.

* What types of careers does NIA offer?

Like any large organisation, NIA offers a wide variety of career possibilities. These range from standard administrative jobs to specialised functions.