Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has assured South Africans that the country is secure and the security cluster remains solid and functional.

Ntshavheni made these remarks during a media briefing in Cape Town yesterday, where she released the redacted version of the National Security Strategy (NSS) and the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) for the sixth administration.

Responding to media questions on national security risks, Ntshavheni revealed that government had identified, among others, the threat of a coup d’état but emphasised that no such attempt had materialised. Oxford defines a coup d’état as: “A​ sudden change of government that is illegal and often violent.”

“We have listed the risks and remember a risk does not necessarily materialise… You need to identify it and mitigate against it. One of the risks is the risk of coup d’état. We have identified it and put measures to mitigate against it.

“That’s why we say to South Africans, there’s not been anyone attempting to do a coup in South Africa. In the last few days or in the last few weeks, there’s not been anyone. Not that there are not people planning – they are – but we are continuously monitoring them and making sure that we deal with those,” she said.

Reinforcing this message, Ntshavheni added that the security cluster is solid and capable of doing its work.

“The security cluster is solid, it is able to do its work. There are men and women in various capacities who continue to work as patriots for the protection of this country, and there are men and women in the intelligence services or intelligence community who continue to work to make sure this country is safe. There are men and women in the defence and police services who work for the greater benefit of this country,” she said.

Ntshavheni added that government is taking a transparent and proactive approach to national security, noting that releasing the NSS and NIE would allow public engagement and strengthen accountability.

“So, any matters or challenges that confront us, we are a resilient nation. We’ve always found solutions, we’ve always been able to deal with challenges and we’ve addressed them,” she said.

She added that the president has taken decisive action by establishing a commission of inquiry with expedited timelines and a clear mandate to report findings to Parliament and the judiciary – further underscoring government’s commitment to transparency and swift action.

“That must give South Africans the comfort that their security is a priority for this government,” Ntshavheni said.

She emphasised that releasing the public version of the National Security Strategy would empower citizens to understand government’s policy and strategic focus.

“So other countries release the strategies. It will help South Africans to understand what we are focusing on at the policy and strategy level and how they can also help. We have not given you the full strategy. We have given you what we call the public version of the strategy because the others that are sensitive are for our implementation and other agencies that we work with. But it’s important that South Africans understand our mandate and what we are focusing on,” she said.

This strategy, she explained, guides the work of the State Security Agency and the broader intelligence community.

“You must hold us accountable – to say what you have set yourself as the pillars of the strategy, what is the progress you are making, including what we call the national intelligence estimates and priorities,” she said.

She further indicated that the department is open to discussions about national security progress and challenges – both at domestic and foreign levels.

No threats to G20 delegates

Addressing concerns about the safety of G20 delegates as South Africa prepares to host key events ahead of the G20 summit later this year, Ntshavheni assured that there are no threats to delegates.

“We do threat assessments for all meetings. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Sherpa meeting or a ministerial meeting. We do threat assessments in time and we mitigate. There have not been any threats coming out in South Africa. The safety and security of the delegates of the G20 is guaranteed,” she said.

Ntshavheni referenced South Africa’s successful hosting of other high-level events in the past, including the Brics Summit, to affirm the country’s capability to provide secure environments for global engagements.

“It is not the first important meeting that this country has hosted. We have hosted the Brics Summit with high-profile delegates who are mostly at risk, and everybody was safe in this country,” Ntshavheni said. – SAnews.gov.za

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