Intelligence Services Act, 2002 (Act No. 65 of 2002)RegulationsIntelligence Services Regulations, 2014Chapter I : General Provisions5. Character of Intelligence |
| (1) | The Agency must provide evaluated information to ensure the— |
| (a) | safeguarding of the Constitution; |
| (b) | upholding of the individual rights enunciated in the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution; |
| (c) | promotion of the interrelated elements of security, stability, cooperation and development, both within the Republic of South Africa and in relation to Southern Africa; |
| (d) | achievement of national prosperity whilst making an active contribution to globally defined priorities for the well-being of humankind; and the |
| (e) | promotion of the Republic of South Africa's ability to face foreign threats and enhance its competitiveness in a dynamic world. |
| (2) | To fulfil their mandates, the Agency must ensure that intelligence serves to— |
| (a) | provide policy makers with timeous, critical and unique information to warn them of potential risks and dangers; |
| (b) | identify opportunities in the international environment, through assessing real or potential competitors' intentions and capabilities; and to |
| (c) | assist good governance by providing honest and critical intelligence that highlights the weaknesses of government. |
| (3) | Intelligence must have at least all of the following attributes: accuracy, relevance, predictive capacity, and an element of warning and timeliness. |
| (4) | Effective intelligence requires the essential component of secrecy with a need to be sensitive to the interests and values of a democratic society. |
| (5) | The Agency must recruit intelligent, competitive and motivated individuals of integrity from all sectors of the South African society to become intelligence officers. This requires a multidisciplinary approach where these officers will be recruited from a diversified pool, and an assurance that the rare skill which these individuals have is retained. |
| (6) | The Agency must uphold the principles of integrity, objectivity and credibility. They must strive to be relevant to the maintenance, promotion and protection of national security. |
| (7) | The Agency must be loyal to the State and the Constitutional objectives. |