President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended Imtiaz Fazel, the country’s inspector-general of intelligence (IGI), following a complaint received by Parliament about his conduct.
The announcement was made on Wednesday evening, after the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) — the parliamentary body responsible for overseeing intelligence services — formally informed the president of the complaint.
According to Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s decision allows Parliament to investigate the matter “without any interference.”
He explained that the process will be handled under section 7(4) and section 7(5) of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act (Act 40 of 1994).
In simple terms, this means that Parliament has the power to look into complaints against the inspector-general, and the president can suspend the official while that process takes place.
Fazel, who was appointed as inspector-general in 2022, is the government’s main intelligence watchdog — a role that involves monitoring and investigating the country’s intelligence agencies to make sure they operate legally and are not misused for political purposes.
His suspension follows growing tension between his office and senior police and intelligence officials.
According to News24, Fazel recently recommended criminal charges against National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola and suspended Crime Intelligence boss Major-General Dumisani Khumalo.
The recommendation came after Fazel’s investigation found that more than R120 million from the Secret Service Account — money meant for covert operations — was allegedly misused to buy several luxury properties and offices across the country .
The Secret Service Account is a confidential government fund used to support undercover and intelligence operations. Spending from this account is supposed to be tightly controlled, but past investigations have revealed repeated misuse of the funds due to weak oversight.
Fazel’s report recommended that both Masemola and Khumalo face disciplinary and criminal charges for violating procurement laws, which regulate how public money can be spent.
News24 further reported that Fazel’s findings caused friction within the intelligence community, with some senior officials accusing him of being part of a “political agenda.” Fazel, however, denied these claims and said he looked forward to addressing the allegations during an official inquiry.
The parliamentary investigation will now examine whether Fazel acted appropriately in his duties or overstepped his legal authority. The Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence will collect evidence, question witnesses, and make recommendations to Parliament, which will then advise the president on the next steps.
For readers unfamiliar with the process, a parliamentary investigation means that lawmakers — not the courts — are tasked with finding out whether a public official followed proper rules or abused their position.
The president can then decide, based on Parliament’s advice, whether to reinstate the official or remove them from office permanently.
Until the investigation is complete, Fazel will remain suspended. The Presidency has not named an acting inspector-general but confirmed that intelligence oversight will continue under existing institutional structures.
This development comes at a sensitive time for South Africa’s security agencies, which are still dealing with internal divisions and ongoing investigations into the misuse of state resources within the Crime Intelligence division.