- Former Minister of State Security David Mahlobo on Friday appeared before the Zondo commission.
- Mahlobo was giving state security related evidence.
- He told the commission that he wanted to assist it and to account "to the best of my ability".
David Mahlobo, former Minister of State Security, appeared at the Zondo commission on Friday, to give evidence relating to the agency.
During his testimony, Mahlobo was questioned about his knowledge of a covert Principal Agent Network (PAN) at the agency.
News24 previously reported that a high-level panel investigation into SSA found that the PAN was involved in, "... serious criminal behaviour… under the guise of conducting covert work and this behavior may have involved theft, forgery and uttering, fraud, corruption and even bordered on organised crime".
Mahlobo, who was responding to questions posed by evidence leader Advocate Paul Pretorius, said he read about the programme through the media.
"We know, and we are told by our investigators that PAN1 was investigated internally within the state security agency and the report was made to minister [Siyabonga] Cwele approximately in November 2010. Do you know of that?" Pretorius asked.
Responding, Mahlobo said: "I only know when the time I became a minister and I received a report from the office of the Inspector-General, but there is an indication that there was a request by (a) former minister to investigate the programme."
Pretorius said the commission's investigators also informed the commission that at least two people were implicated in serious wrongdoing by the report made to Minister Cwele.
"Those two persons were Mr Arthur Fraser (former spy boss) and Mr (Graham) Engel. Are you aware of those facts? Were you aware of those facts when you took office?" Pretorius asked.
But Mahlobo said he did not want to speculate or mislead the commission on a document that was not in front of him.
News24 previously reported that Fraser reportedly headed a covert programme which allegedly evolved – or devolved – into a parallel intelligence network.
Testifying before the commission chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Mahlobo said: "When I became the minister, I received the report, officially, I had recommendations and remedial actions and I said those actions must be acted upon. That's the action I took. Secondly, we briefed Parliament's Joint Standing Committee."
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Earlier, Mahlobo said he was at the commission to account to the best of his ability and added that he would not divulge national security issues.