ATM concerned about SA’s intelligence failures

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has expressed concern that the country’s intelligence is often caught off guard in detecting illegal activities.

The party was reacting to the discovery of an illegal military camp in Mpumalanga which led to the arrest of 95 Libyan nationals by the South African police service.

ATM National spokesperson Zama Ntshona has attributed the country’s failure to detect illegal activities to the recent greylisting of South Africa.

“The intelligence of this country is truly found wanting in instances of this nature. Last year we were graylisted—that did not really look good for us as a country, and that actually makes this even worse. If you look at the financial action task force that Grey listed us in 2023, one of the issues that were picked up was the issue that there is money that is going out of the country to the tune of three billion, and it is financing terrorist groups.”

PODCAST | ATM National spokesperson Zama Ntshona’s interview on SAfm’s Weekend View:

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has reiterated that the designated security training facility in Masoyi near White River, Mpumalanga, resembles a military training camp. He says the owners of the facility have violated certain regulations as per their application.

Mchunu accompanied by his two deputies, Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and Hawks National head Godfrey Lebeya, toured the facility after a lengthy briefing.

Minister Mchunu says the 95 Libyan nationals arrested at the facility will be deported soon but not before investigations are concluded.

“The process of visa applications, there were certain violations there which are being identified and that would be finalised at some point. Their being here is illegal in the first place because the application is a pointer of violations in the process. To that effect, we would want them to be out of the country as soon as possible but we will follow due processes and discussions.”

White River Raid | Visa Application violations: Minister Senzo Mchunu weighs in: