President Cyril Ramaphosa has suspended inspector-general of intelligence Imtiaz Fazel with immediate effect after a complaint.
Parliament’s joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI) told Ramaphosa it had received a complaint on the conduct of Fazel and that the committee would conduct an investigation in line with the Intelligence Services Act.
When contacted for comment, State Security Agency spokesperson Mava Scott referred Business Day to the presidency. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed the JSCI investigation, but would not offer any further detail.
Unlike other parliamentary committees, members of the standing committee on intelligence are sworn in in terms of the Intelligence Services Oversight Act, which stipulates that members should take an oath of secrecy due to the nature of their work.
Fazel’s suspension comes amid a power play within the police that has already seen Ramaphosa suspend police minister Senzo Mchunu over corruption allegations.
Multiple probes have since followed after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt‑Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi delivered explosive testimony to parliament.
Mkhwanazi alleged crime intelligence officers had been recruited into criminal networks.
He asserted that some police-funded benefits, including salaries for farm workers, had been paid from crime intelligence funds — a practice he said had begun in 2020 and had continued.
He said the whole criminal justice system was compromised.
Mkhwanazi delivered similar testimony to the Madlanga commission of inquiry into corruption in the criminal justice system, where he lifted the lid on alleged misuse of secret police funds and entrenched corruption within the police.
Suspended deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Shadrack Sibiya appeared before parliament’s ad hoc committee this week as it continues its high-profile probe into allegations of political interference in the criminal justice system. In that session, Sibiya refused to answer several questions and contradicted himself several times.
Nelson Mandela University political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast said that usually and in the interest of transparency, authorities should have explained what Fazel did to warrant the sanction.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if they argue that revealing the details would pose a security risk,” he said. “Even Mkhwanazi mentioned that some information wouldn’t be disclosed publicly. It seems there’s a lot happening within the security apparatus — and this guy hasn’t even been in the post for long,” Breakfast said.
Fazel has been the inspector-general since 2022. He previously served as deputy director-general for governance, risk and compliance in the department of public works, after which he served as acting director-general in the department of public works & infrastructure. With Hajra Omarjee
Update: October 16 2025
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