On 18 August 2025, the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (TM-School) hosted a seminar titled "Frontiers in African intelligence studies" at Unisa.

After welcoming all those present, including individuals who attended in-person and on various virtual platforms, Prof Edith Phaswana, Acting Executive Dean of the TM-School, admitted that when she saw the list of registrants, she was amazed because "intelligence seems to be a taboo subject in most African countries. In fact, many of us fear intelligence services." She added that despite this, the TM-School has been offering security and intelligence studies through short learning programmes. Inviting applications, she announced that with the accreditation of master’s and doctoral degrees, the TM-School will now offer higher degrees in its various focus areas, including security and intelligence studies, and encouraged all to familiarise themselves with the discipline of intelligence.

From left: Prof Josiah Lebakeng, Prof Ngboawaji Daniel Nte, Dr Lincoln Cave and Dr Kebapetse Lotshwao

As programme director, Prof Josiah Lebakeng, host and leader of the Security and Intelligence Studies focus area, noted that attendees, including those who were attending the event in-person and on platforms such as YouTube and MS Teams, were a combination of researchers, practitioners, students, scholars and other stakeholders in intelligence and intelligence studies. He emphasised that "whether one looks at intelligence as process, product, mission or organisation, its bottom line is clear: prudent statecraft relies on accurate, complete, unbiased and timely information that provides insight into the capabilities and intentions of other nations, subversive groups or opportunities". Acknowledging the slow development of intelligence studies in Africa, he explained that the seminar was about examining how intelligence is practised, studied and theorised. While he admitted that intelligence offers a wide range of solutions, he stressed that it remains understudied.

Building on this, Dr Tshepo Gwatiwa from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, pointed out that universities all over the world, including in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (USA), have introduced intelligence-related content into their academic programmes. His presentation focused on current issues and challenges in intelligence, emphasising that intelligence is one of the key pillars of national and international security. "It helps us define and shape national security strategies," he said, noting that it is therefore important to understand what intelligence is used for and how it is applied. He pointed out that a lack of understanding of intelligence often leads to its abuse and highlighted the role of collection and analysis as elements of intelligence and their value in economic intelligence (eg African Free Trade). He lamented the absence of a clear link between intelligence and foreign policy, and between intelligence and human security.

Prof and Provost Ngboawaji Daniel Nte of Novena University in Ogune, Delta State, Nigeria, noted that after more than 20 years of teaching the discipline, he has come to the conclusion that intelligence studies in Africa would best be housed in sociology departments. He cited examples of the USA, where the discipline is often located in politics, political science or international relations, reflecting that country’s expansionist tendencies at the time. In Europe, the discipline is primarily housed in history departments. For him, Africa cannot afford such models because the continent has no capacity or desire to colonise others. He advocated for indigenous domiciliation of intelligence studies based on African realities and challenges of nationhood, noting that primordial sentiments of ethnicity and social identities still shape intelligence on the continent. In his view, intelligence is extremely multidimensional.

Dr Lincoln Cave, Senior Associate at the Ethics Institute (TEI) and External Executive Advisory Board member at the Centre for Geopolitical Security and Strategy (CGSS) at North-West University, shared insights on oversight and accountability in his presentation titled "Intelligence oversight in Africa with reflections on CISSA’s institutional governance framework". Using the South African case extensively, he delved into the prospects and challenges of oversight efficacy and the components of the institutional governance framework, including the judiciary, regulatory bodies, legislative oversight, and the executive and ministerial roles. For him, "oversight is above those who govern and those who manage". He questioned the over-reliance on the judiciary as if no other oversight stakeholders exist and extended his discussion to the framework of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa (CISSA), the African Union’s continental intelligence structure.

Dr Kebapetse Lotshwao, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Botswana and security consultant, responded to Nte’s provocative thesis by arguing that political science is the natural home of intelligence studies. For him, political science is concerned with the state and how it is governed. He explained that although there is talk of politicisation and human rights violations by intelligence services, it is difficult to answer the "why" questions without understanding the nature of the state and how it is organised in relation to the interests it serves.

Using Botswana as an example, he took the audience through its transition from a poor, undeveloped country during independence to a middle-income country. He traced the evolution of the Department of Intelligence and Security (DIS) in Botswana during President Ian Khama’s presidency, saying it "was not meant to protect the nation but family and party interests. As such, it was out of control, undermining other institutions." He concluded that the DIS was conceived not as a credible institution, leaving it vulnerable to abuse by any sitting president. He further warned that recent appointments and reappointments suggest that the current president may also use it as an instrument of coercion.

As expected, the inputs that followed were dynamic, insightful and enlightening. The audience left with a deeper understanding of intelligence studies as an academic field that deals with real-life issues and, therefore, should not be taboo. Attendees acknowledged that the seminar was a much-needed dialogue to stimulate debate and raise awareness at all levels of society, with the aim of finding solutions to a wide range of issues affecting societal stability and instability.

* By Dr Koliswa Matebese-Notshulwana, postdoctoral fellow at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, Unisa