Johannesburg - Spy claims against Thuli Madonsela, Julius Malema, Lindiwe Mazibuko, and Joseph Mathunjwa were dismissed as rubbish, according to their comments published by Beeld on Friday.
“A grade nine pupil could see it is rubbish,” said Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, after the State Security Agency (SSA) issued a statement on Thursday saying it was probing spying claims against the four.
The statement by Minister of State Security David Mahlobo said; “Government has noted with great concern the allegations of espionage against the Head of the Office of the Public Protector and certain political leaders in our country.
SSA spokesman Brian Dube said allegations against them led the agency to africainteligenceleaks.wordpress.com, and other social media platforms.
The blog Africa Intelligence Leaks alleges that Madonsela, Mazibuko and Mathunjwa are being used by the CIA to undermine the South African government.
“Is Madonsela another CIA project against South Africa or is she a CIA project against the whole African continent?” the blog asks, suggesting she is using her position as executive secretary of the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA) to gather intelligence for the CIA about other African countries.
Madonsela said she would lodge a formal complaint against the SSA and ask it to withdraw the statement.
She said it was “interesting” that it surfaced days before President Jacob Zuma answered questions in Parliament.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said: “I have never heard such madness in my life... Those people are clowns. Our biggest problem is that our 'intelligence' is not intelligent.”
Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), said it was “rubbish” and a “waste of state resources” to investigate such allegations.
Mazibuko, former Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader who is studying at Harvard, tweeted: “It's pretty embarrassing that a SA cabinet minister would issue a press statement responding to a false blog post from the lunatic fringe” followed by a “sad face” emoticon.
Claims include that the CIA in Langley, US, has a file on Mazibuko saying she is trying to organise a “Pretoria version of the Arab spring”.
Sapa