Johannesburg - DA spokesperson on police Andrew Whitfield challenged political parties that claimed the DA had used spy equipment against other politicians to produce the evidence.
Whitfield has laid criminal charges against Police Minister Bheki Cele and the National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, over the purchase of these spy gadgets.
Al-Jama-ah’s leader in Parliament, Mogamad Ganief Ebrahim Hendricks, had accused the DA of using spy equipment in the City of Joburg.
The speaker of council, Colleen Makhubele, has since announced an investigation into the allegations of surveillance against some councillors through the municipality’s corruption busting unit, GFIS.
“I am not aware of spying going on in the City of Joburg, but if anyone has evidence that the DA was involved in such things, they need to produce the evidence,” he said.
Some councillors in the City of Joburg claimed that they were spied on and that their phones and gadgets were tapped when the DA was in power. This is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Whitfield said he was concerned about what the grabbers were used for. He said he could not rule out the possibility that they were being used for criminal activities or for political gains.
“I do not want to exaggerate, but what I can say is that we are moving into times of petty politics,” he said.
Whitfield said he believed that the SAPS had a case to answer.
“The charges are in connection with the illegal possession of spy equipment, known as ‘grabbers’ by the SAPS. In a recent revelation, Minister Cele admitted that the SAPS unlawfully purchased grabbers without obtaining the required certificate of exemption under the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica) from the minister of justice."
He said the possession of such equipment without a valid exemption certificate constituted a criminal offence.
“According to the Rica Act, the possession, sale, purchase, or advertisement of listed equipment like the grabbers is strictly prohibited. As leaders of SAPS, Minister Bheki Cele and National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola knowingly allowed this criminal offence to occur, undermining the rule of law and compromising the privacy rights of every South African,” he said.
The Star