President Cyril Ramaphosa this week appointed Thembi Majola as the new Director General of the State Security Agency (SSA).
Majola is the seventh departmental head of the SSA since 2009.
The previous Director Generals are:
Jeff Maqetuka, Dennis Dlomo, Sonto Kudjoe, Authur Fraser, Loyiso Jafta, and Gab Msimanga.
Please see the full statement below:
TO : ALL MEDIA
ATTENTION : NEWS EDITORS/NEWS WIRES
DATE : MONDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2022
STATEMENT ON APPOINTMENT OF STATE SECURITY AGENCY DIRECTOR-GENERAL
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Ambassador Thembisile Majola as the new Director-General of the State Security Agency (SSA) with effect from 1 March 2022.
The appointment, which is made in terms of section 209(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, read with section 3(3(a) of the Intelligence Services Act 65 of 2002, is for a period of three years.
The appointment of a permanent head of the SSA follows President Ramaphosa’s undertaking in the State of the Nation Address on 10 February 2022 to fill critical vacancies in the country’s security services.
Ambassador Majola is a former Deputy Minister of Energy and was South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia and Guinea Bissau. She has held several positions in the Presidency and was a Deputy Coordinator in the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC). She was the observer on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa to the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Renaissance Dam during South Africa’s tenure as chair of the African Union in 2020.
President Ramaphosa said: “The appointment of Amb Thembi Majola to this position is an important part of our work to stabilise the country’s intelligence services. Her extensive experience in government, international relations and security makes her well placed to lead the reform and rebuilding of the State Security Agency.”
“Her appointment is expected to give greater impetus to the implementation of the report of the SSA High Level Review Panel and the recommendations of the Expert Panel into the July 2021 unrest,” he said.
President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation to Mr. Loyiso Jafta and Amb Gab Msimanga respectively for having held the position of Acting SSA Director-General since the departure of former SSA Director-General Arthur Fraser in 2018.
Media enquiries: Tyrone Seale, Acting Spokesperson to the President – [email protected]
ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
