Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni recently presented the State Security Agency’s 2025 Budget Vote speech in Cape Town[1]. This address comes at a time of heightened national focus on security, following revelations by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi regarding corruption within the police service. Ntshavheni disclosed that the government is planning to disestablish the current State Security Agency during the 2025/26 financial year, replacing it with two specialized services. She acknowledged the widespread problem of organized crime, which now extends to transnational actors, illegal mining, drug smuggling at national ports, and emerging criminal networks such as so-called “water mafias”[1].
Following her budget speech, Minister Ntshavheni held a post-budget vote media briefing on July 15, 2025. During this briefing, she released the National Security Strategy, outlining the government’s approach to addressing security threats and the imminent restructuring of intelligence services. The event was held at the Imbizo Media Centre in Cape Town and was streamed live on official government platforms[2][3].
During her parliamentary briefing, Ntshavheni emphasized the urgency of fast-tracking a Commission of Inquiry into allegations of collusion between crime syndicates and certain police members. She described the commission as essential for the security of South Africans and maintained that expediting the process would allow the country to comprehensively address these issues[5].