President Cyril Ramaphosa has come out in defence of controversial former state security head Arthur Fraser, once dubbed "the spy who saved Zuma", saying there is no evidence that he is not of "good character". In court papers filed in September, in response to a DA challenge to his decision to appoint Fraser as correctional services national commissioner after removing him from his intelligence role, Ramaphosa says that he had considered suspending Fraser after the inspector-general of intelligence, Setlhomamaru Dintwe, took Fraser to court for revoking his security clearance, allegedly to block an investigation into Fraser’s conduct. Ramaphosa has built his whole presidency’s reputation on his determination to clean up governance after Jacob Zuma’s scandal-plagued administration. Fraser is seen as one of the principal figures in facilitating Zuma’s rise to power. Nearly a decade ago, The Mail & Guardian named Fraser as the man who leaked the "spy tapes" to Zuma’s lawyers. That mov...
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