By Moshoeshoe Monare
Before 2007, even President Jacob Zuma - a former ANC superspy - couldn't discuss sensitive matters without removing his cellphone battery from the handset.
Few still risk discussing any politically sensitive matters on the phone, two years after the ANC's succession dust has seemingly settled.
Zuma once narrated a sad anecdote in which former president Nelson Mandela cautioned him against discussing sensitive issues at a meeting at Madiba's house in Mozambique. Mandela reportedly indicated, through hand gestures, that the house could have been bugged.
Whether imagined or real, such paranoia was a reflection of the political state of the country's security agencies, and the scale of abuse.
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The security agencies were in bad shape and some were seriously compromised. Disinformation in the form of the so-called hoax emails, interceptions, mysterious intelligence reports and unlawful surveillance were the order of the day as spooks abandoned their mandate for political battles.
However, there are still many good men and women in the shadows who "serve and remain silent".
The police commissioner and the national director of public prosecutions spent time and resources fighting fiercely, the Scorpions and the police were at war, and the criminal justice system was dysfunctional, demoralising hard-working police officers.
In an interview with The Sunday Independent in April, Zuma did not mince his words on the need to "overhaul" the security structures.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the newspaper earlier this year that they would forge ahead with such an overhaul, even if it cost millions.
So, it was not surprising when State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele announced a major restructuring of the services last week.
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