Arthur Fraser’s threats to spill state secrets a desperate move by a desperate man

21 July 2020

Former Director-General of the State Security Agency (SSA), Arthur Fraser’s threats to spill secrets about Presidents, Judges and Parliamentarians at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry is nothing more than an attempt at grandstanding by a man already implicated in a range of corruption and treason allegations.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has in the past opened two criminal cases against Fraser and aim to see justice done:

9 April 2008: The DA laid charges at the Durban Central Police Station after three independent sources cited Fraser as the person who used his position as SSA DG to pass the “Spy Tapes” on to former President Jacob Zuma’s legal team. We charged him with illegally distributing intercepted communications. The tapes, of course, cleared the way for Zuma to become the President of South Africa a scant month later.

14 November 2017: The DA laid charges at the Cape Town Central Police Station shortly after Jacques Pauw’s book The President's Keepers, was published. In it, Mr Pauw implicated Fraser in widespread corruption at the SSA between 2007 and 2009. He allegedly established the Principle Agent Network (PAN) project by copying the signature of then Minister of Intelligence, Ronnie Kasrils, and also used PAN to benefit several of his relatives.

The DA is of the belief that Mr Fraser used his position as the then DG of the SSA to stop these charges in their tracks, as he seems to have done so effectively with any and all charges against former President Jacob Zuma.

In what he believes to be a Masterclass Chess move, Mr Fraser has now threatened to spill state secrets. He has, of course, sworn an oath not to do so, which oath he is threatening to break should the charges against him not magically evaporate.

It’s a desperate move by a desperate man.

Despite these extraordinarily serious charges faced by Mr Fraser, the ANC has seen it fit to install him, ironically, as the DG of Correctional Services. Of course, it is well known that the ANC has never seen a potential felon they won’t protect.

As a person who personifies the evils of State Capture, to have Arthur Fraser threatening to tell “who exactly is subverting our state”, is laughable.

Issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard, DA Shadow Minister of State Security, 21 July 2020