Moe Shaik is a former South African spy boss.
He has played significant roles both during and after the apartheid era. Born in 1948, he grew up in Durban, South Africa and became a member of the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed the apartheid regime.
During the apartheid era, Moe became involved in anti-apartheid activities and worked as an informant for the ANC’s intelligence wing, known as Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He provided valuable information to the ANC, helping in their struggle against the apartheid government.
In the late 1980s, he joined the South African Secret Service (SASS), the country’s central intelligence agency. He worked as a senior intelligence officer, specialising in counterintelligence.
At the same time, South African intelligence services were deeply involved in oppressive activities during the apartheid era, including surveillance, torture, and targeted killings of anti-apartheid activists.
At least, that’s the official story.
Following the end of apartheid in 1994, Moe continued to serve in the intelligence community. He held various positions in the post-apartheid government, including deputy Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and head of the South African Secret Service.
As a refresher, apartheid was a system of racial segregation and institutionalised discrimination enforced by the South African government between 1948 and 1994. The system ultimately collapsed in the early 1990s, leading to the dismantling of apartheid and the birth of a “democratic” South Africa. (It can be argued that South Africa has never been democratic.)
Some of Moe’s story is covered in his book The ANC Spy Bible.
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