Phala Phala probe dead in the water because intelligence watchdog doesn't have a boss

With no Inspector General of Intelligence (IGI), who has sweeping powers to probe alleged abuses of secret intelligence operations, a complaint about the President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm burglary has stalled.

The IGI has powers of investigation to probe claims of abuses in the country’s three main intelligence services, namely the State Security Agency, Military Intelligence and police Crime Intelligence.  

But the post has been vacant since 15 March, when the term of the previous IGI, Dr Setlhomamaru Dintwe, ended after a tumultuous five years. Previously, after the death of Ambassador Faith Radebe, the position remained vacant for 22 months in 2014 and 2015.