New institutions were established under a system designed to respect and protect civil liberties, promote transparency and de-politicize South Africa's security agencies.

During the decades of Apartheid regime, South Africa's security and intelligence agencies were used to conduct surveillance, infiltration and intelligence activities against civil rights organizations such as the African National Congress, African politicians, militants and armed groups in Namibia and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

[2] The Bureau of State Security (BOSS) and its successor, the National Intelligence Service were condemned for suppressing civil rights activities and organizations by harsh methods and had a notorious reputation for racism.

[2] The Intelligence Services Act was passed by the post-Apartheid democratic government to reform South Africa's security organizations.

However, South African government authorities have faced numerous challenges in undertaking a smooth transition for national security and intelligence,[2] with remnants of the Apartheid-era regime being difficult to police and control and efficient staff and operatives being difficult to train and replace, affecting the quality of intelligence gathering.