President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his gratitude to the members of the expert panel that he appointed to look into the July 2021 unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng for its work to safeguard the Constitution.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the funeral of the late senior Intelligence official, Silumko Sokupa where he delivered the eulogy.
Sokupa was one of three members of the panel. He died last week at the age of 74 after a short illness.
Former President Thabo Mbeki attending the funeral service of the late Ambassador Silumko Sokupa at the Heartfelt Arena in Thaba Tshwane. Ambassador Sokupa served the State Security Agency in various capacities over his long and illustrious career in the public service. pic.twitter.com/oddUqhHlD9
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) May 5, 2022
Ramaphosa says the Sokupa understood the role of intelligence in a democracy.
“He understood the purpose of the intelligence services as guardians of the people, of their rights and of their Constitution. It must have been deeply distressing for him – as a member of the High-Level Review Panel on the State Security Agency – to witness how far our intelligence services had strayed from their essential purpose. I remain extremely appreciative of the insight, diligence and integrity that he brought to this work.”
“I am similarly grateful to him and to Professor Sandy Africa and advocate Mojanku Gumbi for their outstanding work in probing government’s response to the public violence and destruction that occurred in parts of our country in July of last year,” adds President Ramaphosa.
In the video below, President Ramaphosa delivers the eulogy at the funeral service for ambassador Silumko Sokupa:
