President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Ambassador Thembisile Majola as the new permanent Director-General of the State Security Agency (SSA), with effect from 1 March 2022.

In a statement on Monday, the Presidency said the appointment of a permanent head of the SSA follows President Ramaphosa’s undertaking in the State of the Nation Address to fill critical vacancies in the country’s security services.

The Presidency said Majola will sail the ship at the agency for a period of three years.

Majola has served as a 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,” the Presidency said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said the appointment of Majola to this position is an important part of government’s 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,” the President said.

Following the departure of former SSA Director-General Arthur Fraser in 2018, the SSA had two acting heads, Loyiso Jafta and Ambassador Gab Msimanga.

President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation to Jafta and Msimanga, respectively, for having held the position of Acting SSA Director-General since the departure of Fraser in 2018.

Source: South African Government News Agency