State Security Council

The State Security Council ( SSC short ), German State Security Council, was established in South Africa 1972 inter-ministerial cabinet committee (of 20 committees ) of the governments during the apartheid era. He served to coordinate the work of the National Security Management System ( NSMS ) and evaluate as well as for the design of domestic policy. This committee was created on the basis of Security Intelligence and State Security Council Act (No. 64/1972 ).

In 1979, this working group was the most powerful one of only four Cabinet committees at the behest of the Prime Minister Pieter Willem Botha. This appreciation was based on the so-called Bothanomics, a reform program in the policy of apartheid, and produced a parallel structure to the previous state administration.

Founding and goals

The establishment of the State Security Council was created by Pieter Willem Botha, Magnus Malan and other advisors as the national control center of their internal security policy based on a reorganization and streamlining of the government apparatus. In order to strengthened the position of the Directorate of Military Intelligence within the existing informal structures of government.

The goal of the SSC was to pursue a counterinsurgency strategy. Accompanying measures related to the organization of public support for security-related activities of the government to the proviso " Winning the hearts and minds" (in short: WHAM, German obtaining the hearts and minds ). The measures were aimed to identify anti-government activists, primarily the anti- apartheid struggle, and neutralize. Was helped by generous financial resources available.

Structures

Pieter Willem Botha who presided in the extended SSC, which the Defense Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Law and Order as well as the head of the South African Army ( SADF ), the chiefs of the military and intelligence services, the police chief, the head of the Security police and, if necessary, belonged to other high-ranking government officials. The top working structure of the SSC formed a Working Committee (Work Committee) and the staff of his secretariat. The Working Committee met weekly to coordinate the ongoing activities of more than a dozen cross-departmental committees and review. The approximately ninety employees of the Secretariat reflected primarily composed of military and intelligence professionals.

The internal structure of the SSC was composed of four sections:

  • Department of the Security Strategy: Their task was the development of strategic options for action and in advising government policy.
  • Department of National Security: Here was the review, evaluation and interpretation of information collected from other agencies.
  • Department of Strategic Communication: To study the effects of psychological and public relations campaigns of the government were examined.
  • Department of Administration

The organizational structure below the SSC was divided into Joint Management Centre ( JMC ) - common organization centers, were led by the army or police officers ( ranks between Colonel and Major General ) and those between 50 and 55 employees belonged. These were substructures were associated with the levels of command of the South African army. In 1986, there were 12 Joint Management Center, whose number was later reduced to 9. Furthermore, there was Subcenter in all major South African cities, led by municipal officials, police or military. At the base of the National Security Management System worked a total of about 448 Mini Center. The Joint Management Centre at all levels were each by three bodies (Joint Management Committee ) advisory support (communication, education, and for the complex of constitutional law, economic and social issues). The fact coming together representatives discussed problems promptly and across the boundaries of local, regional and national levels. Thus, the slowness of the government should be overcome by important outcomes of assessments of the situation and the State Security Council reached quickly.

A further substructure developed in the form of the Military Area Radio Network ( MARNET ), which is built in the mid-1980s. It was the 24 -hour communication between farmers in agricultural areas with short-term operational police and armed forces in the region. This radio network served the purpose to protect the civilian population in case of an armed insurrection or terrorist attack, especially in the northern Transvaal. There were also organized general measures of civil defense.

Legislative consequences

The Security Intelligence and State Security Council Act (No. 64/1972 ) was repealed by proclamation of the President in the Government Gazette with the National Strategic Intelligence Act (Act No. 39/1994 ), which entered into force on 1 January 1995.

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