The State Security Agency confirmed on Thursday that it had laid charges against journalist and author, Jacque Pauw, following the release of his controversial book, The President's Keepers.
In the book, Pauw makes damning claims against President Jacob Zuma, including that he owes the South African Revenue Service R63m and that he had allegedly earned R1m a month from a wealthy Durban businessman during his first year as President.
The State Security Agency had warned that action would be taken against Pauw.
SSA spokesperson, Brian Dube said in a terse statement that “charges have been opened at the Lyttleton Police Station in Pretoria and relate to the contravention of certain sections of the Intelligence Services Act."
Pauw’s book, which has sold out and is reportedly a global best-seller on Amazon, was released a week ago, with a leaked copy being circulated on social media.
Timeslive reported that on Tuesday, NB Publishers issued a statement saying that it noted death threats made against Pauw with "grave concern".
NB Publishers also reportedly wrote to the SSA on Monday saying it made no sense to demand that the book be withdrawn because it had already been widely circulated.
