Tebogo Msimanga |
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Ambassador Thembisile Majola as the new Director-General of the State Security Agency (SSA) with effect from 1 March 2022.
The appointment of a permanent head of the SSA follows President Ramaphosa’s undertaking in the State of the Nation Address on 10 February 2022 to fill critical vacancies in the country’s security services.
Ambassador Majola is a former Deputy Minister of Energy and was South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia and Guinea Bissau. She has held several positions in the Presidency and was a Deputy Coordinator in the National Intelligence Coordinating Committee (NICOC). She was the observer on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa to the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Renaissance Dam during South Africa’s tenure as chair of the African Union in 2020.
President Ramaphosa said the appointment of Majola to this position is an important part of “our work to stabilise the country’s intelligence services. Her extensive experience in government, international relations and security makes her well placed to lead the reform and rebuilding of the State Security Agency.”
President Ramaphosa expressed his appreciation to Loyiso Jafta and Amb Gab Msimanga respectively for having held the position of Acting SSA Director-General since the departure of former SSA Director-General Arthur Fraser in 2018.
