Hon Chairperson; hon Minister of State Security; other Ministers present; hon Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence; hon members; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen; and my beloved wife Magda in the public gallery, whom I would like to acknowledge for her presence, support and love, I greet you all. [Applause.] Thank you.
Mr Chairperson, as we all know, the Vote of State Security is classified information, but I would like to take the opportunity to remind the hon Minister of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act, Act 40 of 1994, which provides, amongst other things, that the JSCI has the function of oversight over the Minister of State Security. However, the Minister has not tabled his office budget before the JSCI since he became the Minister of State Security. Then we talk about standards, laws and bylaws! [Interjections.]
Certainly one of the most sensational cases is the Mdluli saga. Just last week, on Friday, 10 May, the Mail & Guardian reported this under the headline, "How top cop Lazarus 'plundered' spy fund", and it should be noted that charges against Mdluli were dropped:
Suspended crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli and ... financial officer, Solly Lazarus, allegedly used the division's secret service account as a piggy bank to splash out on trips to China and Mauritius ...
[Interjections.] In case Mr Burgess doesn't know this:
The account is a covert fund ...