Explosive breach of intelligence

SA rocked by ‘worst security leak in 20 years’, on par with Wikileaks

SOUTH Africa’s worst intelligence breach has exposed cover-ups of the theft of military blueprints, attempted secret nuclear deals and the operation of extremist groups in the country. And more is to come. As it began leaking thousands of top-secret cables from some of the world’s major intelligence agencies last night, international news agency Al-Jazeera revealed that “Johannesburg was the Eldorado of international espionage”.

One of the leaked documents reveals how Pretoria’s spies hid the fact that Israel had obtained stolen South African weapon plans.

According to the cables, two men were caught trying to sell missile blueprints, software and components stolen from Denel. Police launched a sting operation, posed as Russian buyers, and made arrests near Johannesburg in 2010.

The scale of the leaks appears to be on a par with the Wikileaks scandal and the US National Security Agency leaks by Edward Snowden.

A selective leak of the secret communiqués – from 2006 to December last year – involves exchanges between South Africa’s intelligence operatives and some of their counterparts around the world.

The cables, leaked to Al-Jazeera and the UK’s Guardian newspaper, include details of operations against al-Qaeda, Islamic State and other organisations, and the targeting of environmental activists.