Billy Masetlha, born in Alexandra, Johannesburg, Transvaal (now Gauteng) on November 21, 1954, was a key player in South African politics, serving as the chief of the South African National Intelligence Agency and a Presidential Advisor. His tenure, however, was marked by scandal, most notably his resignation by President Thabo Mbeki in 2006.
Masetlha was a founding member of the Congress of South African Students (COSAS), a key player in the anti-apartheid campaign. In 1979, he was a founding member of the Azanian Student’s Organisation (AZASO), which sought to enhance the rights and interests of black students. Prior to that, in 1976, he was a member of the Soweto Student’s Representative Council, which was instrumental in the Soweto Uprising.
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Billy Masetlha, a former espionage chief, died at the age of 68. Masetlha died on Sunday while acting as South Africa’s ambassador to Algeria.
Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, said the country had lost an experienced and trusted representative who was a true believer in the aims of Pan-Africanism.
Masetlha had worked for the government in a variety of roles, including as director-general of the NIA.
Former President Thabo Mbeki removed him from the CIA in 2006 after he was suspected of spying on behalf of former President Jacob Zuma.