South Africa Launches Intelligence Coordination Center to Strengthen National Security

 South African authorities have officially launched the National Coordination Intelligence Centre (NCIC) to strengthen national security and unify the country's intelligence structures, the state-run South African Government News Agency reported.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni emphasized that the new center will become a key element of the country's security system, combining domestic, foreign, military, and criminal intelligence into a single structure. She also pointed to growing national security threats, including transnational crime, espionage, and economic sabotage.

"These are not abstract risks. They are real and evolving. Your task is to ensure that the republic is never 'blind,' unprepared, and caught off guard," Ntshavheni stressed.

Acting National Intelligence Coordinator Ntandazo Sipholo noted that the establishment of the center is part of the broader reform of the intelligence system. "We are called to safeguard national interests, ensure their protection, as well as identify threats and neutralize them," he stated.

In March 2025, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law amending intelligence legislation, which provides for large-scale reforms of the country's security services. According to the document, the State Security Agency (SSA) is being abolished, and in its place two separate agencies are being created — the Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS) and the Domestic Intelligence Agency (DIA).