Those implicated in the "Zuma hoax e-mail" saga continued to produce false e-mails after the decision was taken to start an investigation, says Intelligence Ministry spokesperson Lorna Daniels.
Daniels spoke to ITWeb this morning following a press conference this weekend. During the press conference, the heads of the various intelligence agencies and the South African Police Service (SAPS) stood by the findings of the inspector general of intelligence (IGI) report and claimed action would be taken against a number of people, including Billy Masetlha, the dismissed head of the domestic intelligence service.
A joint statement issued this weekend by Jackie Selebe, SAPS national commissioner; Hilton Dennis, director-general of the SA Secret Service; and Manala Manzini, acting director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) criticised the NIA for doing a "poor job" in authenticating the e-mails.
"There was at least one e-mail fabricated after the decision had been made to go ahead with the investigation attacking Zolile Ngcakani [the IGI] and the perpetrators used information that had been published in the media and other sources to do this," Daniels said.
She said the e-mails were backdated to give the impression they were sent before the start of the investigation and that a conspiracy had existed for some time.
According to Daniels, the e-mail saga was perpetrated to create the impression that a number of conspiracies existed within government, in particular certain circles within the ruling African National Party, the political opposition and outside government structures to show there was a plot against former deputy president Jacob Zuma.
The statement issued over the weekend states that the alleged intercepted e-mails and chat-room conversations are patently fraudulent.
"They were never intercepted but manufactured," it says.
The statement also says: "We also wish to point out that even if the e-mails and chat-room conversations were authentic, they would have still been illegal because, as required by law, no permission was granted by the judge to conduct them."
The statement`s authors say they have noted with concern comments that called into question the integrity of the person of the IGI.
"In our view - and knowing that the IGI only featured in the now confirmed fabricated e-mails and chat-room conversations once a decision to conduct the investigation was taken - the IGI, and indeed other officials, were maliciously targeted in order to paralyse the relevant institutions and functionaries of the state from carrying out their lawful responsibilities," the statement says.
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