Following his appointment by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Imtiaz Fazel will start his five-year term as the new Inspector General of Intelligence on Tuesday.
Fazel’s nomination for the position was approved by the National Assembly and he was appointed by the President in accordance with Section 210(b) of the Constitution, read in conjunction with Section 7(1) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act of 1994.
The Presidency said the approval was secured after 12 people were screened for the position by the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI).
“The Intelligence Services Oversight Act mandates the JSCI to recommend a candidate for approval by at least two-thirds of National Assembly Members.
“Following National Assembly approval, the name of the candidate is submitted to the President to consider the nominee for appointment as Inspector General.
“The Inspector General monitors and reviews the operations of intelligence services, including the State Security Agency, the Defence Intelligence Division of the South African National Defence Force and the Crime Intelligence Division of the South African Police Service,” the statement read.
Over twenty persons applied for the top job during a public process.
The Presidency said Fazel’s appointment is a “continuation of the attention President Ramaphosa is giving to strengthening the capability of the State, including the security sector”.
“Mr Fazel is a former Chief Operating Officer – at the level of Deputy Director General – in the Office of the Inspector General of Intelligence and a former Deputy Director General in the Office of the Director General of the State Security Agency.
“From 2015 to 2020, he served as Deputy Director General: Governance, Risk and Compliance in the Department of Public Works, following which he served as Acting Director General in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.
“Mr Fazel has obtained a Master’s Degree in Security Studies from the University of Pretoria and holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science Degree from the University of South Africa. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of the Western Cape and is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, among other achievements.”
President Ramaphosa sent his best wishes to the new Inspector General.