Apartheid State Security Council Approves Cross-Border Operations
On 12 February 1979, the apartheid State Security Council (SSC), under the Prime Ministership of PW Botha, approved guidelines for the conducting of military operations against liberation movements in foreign countries. Botha himself chaired the SSC, which was serviced by a secretariat of 100 full-time staff seconded by other government departments. The Departments of Defence, Police and Foreign Affairs drew up the memorandum, which contained provisions for planned operations, cross-border (“hot pursuit”) raids, reconnaissance and clandestine operations.
In October 1978, prior to the issuing of the SSC guidelines, Deputy Defence and Intelligence Minister, Kobie Coetsee, was appointed by PW Botha to lead a commission of inquiry into intelligence gathering and to determine which would be the lead agency, in particular. Since PW Botha was a former Minister of Defence, it was assumed that it was already decided that the Directorate Military Intelligence (DMI) would be the lead intelligence agency. Botha had decided to split the intelligence gathering capability amongst four agencies, the DMI, the Bureau for State Security (BOSS), the Security Branch and Foreign Affairs, hoping to reduce political dominance by one over the others.
The SSC was formed in South Africa in 1972 to advise the government on the country’s national policy and strategy concerning security, its implementation, and determining se
