South Africa is a veritable treasure chest of conspiracy theories. Sure, the Yanks have the assassination of JF Kennedy and the Brits have the tragic death of Princess Di, but these pale in comparison to the tangled web of deception that surrounds the enigmatic figure of Jacob Zuma.

Ah, yes, the riddles abound. Is Mbeki the evil orchestrator of Zuma's decline? Does Pikoli have a pact with Zapiro to make the Zulu Boy cry? Are the Friends of Jacob Zuma smuggling in machine guns? And what exactly does a subterraneous creature have to do with a coup?

Puzzles indeed. And while most make for good bedtime stories, the issue of the Browse Mole Report keeps rearing its ugly head, making us question (more than usual) the trustworthiness of our government, state institutions and African neighbours.

But what is it all about, who compiled it, and what does it have to do with NPA boss Vusi Pikoli? We delved deep into official statements, confused media mutterings and Ginwala inquiry interrogations to get some clarity. And this is probably as good as it's going to get…

What's it all about?

The Special Browse Mole Consolidated Report is a 'Top Secret' document produced by the Directorate of Special Operation (the Scorpions) in 2006.

It contains a number of inflammatory allegations about prominent figures in South African and African politics — most notably, Jacob Zuma.

According to the special report by the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (www.pmg.org.za), the report is primarily concerned with an alleged plot to topple Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa and replace him with Jacob Zuma. More specifically, the report portrays the presidents of Angola, Eduardo dos Santos, and Libya, Muammar Qadhafi, as active supporters of the plot.

The Libyan government is alleged to have given financial support (between $3- and $5-million) via the South Africa Communist Party's general secretary Blade Nzimande towards the "promotion of a street level revolution in South Africa, in support of Zuma's political aspirations".

Both Libya and Angola have somewhat frosty relations with the government of Thabo Mbeki.

Zuma himself is implicated in the conspiracy by his office's association with groups thought to be hostile to the Mbeki regime — the legal counsel for the murders of Chris Hani and Brett Kebble, who is alleged to have been Zuma's major funder.

The report also contained serious allegations against veteran Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) leaders, who are now part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). It is alleged that a meeting was convened at the Shaft 17 Conference Centre at Nasrec outside Johannesburg in early 2006, during which former SANDF chief Siphiwe Nyanda raised the possibility of military alignment with Zuma in the event of a coup. The possibility of foreign military assistance was also purportedly discussed.

Further information contained in the report has been withheld from the public because of fears of a threat to national stability and security.

Who compiled it?

The report was initially produced as an intelligence document by senior Scorpions investigator Ivor Powell, with the help of three undisclosed investigators, based on information from a variety of sources.

Former Scorpions head Leonard McCarthy instructed the investigators to gather more information and produce a consolidated report. According to a government statement on the report (www.intelligence.gov.za/), only four copies of the consolidated report were made. In July 2006, McCarthy kept one copy for himself, and gave one to NPA boss Vusi Pikoli, who in turn gave copies to the director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the director general of the South African Secret Service (Sass).

How did it get out?

This top secret report entered the public domain when, almost a year after it was produced, it was anonymously faxed and posted to the Cosatu headquarters on 7 May 2007. The report, which was dated 7 December 2006, differed from the document which was given to Pikoli. It is believed that the leak originated with Powell.

Ivor Powell's credibility came under scrutiny again in January 2008, when he was arrested for drunk driving in the company of fugitive and alleged Americans gang leader Igshaan Davids.

At the end of May, a task team was appointed by the National Security Council to investigate the report. McCarthy, who has subsequently left the Scorpions to take up a position at the World Bank, refused to give the task team access to computers and refused to provide the names of the sources or the identities of the investigators involved in the report.

What were the findings?

In November 2007, the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI) came to various conclusion regarding the compilation and legality of the Browse Mole Report.

Firstly, it found that the Scorpions gathered the information without the necessary mandate and oversight and, as such, the investigation and production of the report was illegal. Ivor Powell and the other investigators involved did not have the necessary security clearance (provided by the NIA) to conduct the investigation.

They found that the motivation behind the investigation was primarily to gather information about Jacob Zuma.

The JSCI also found that the Scorpions had used 'information peddlers' as the source of their information. These peddlers, who hail from covert intelligence structures of the apartheid regime, have links with foreign intelligence services and are reputed to use illegal and intrusive means of gathering information.

Although the JSCI suggested that the motivation of such peddlers is monetary rather than ideological, the perceived intent behind the information that fuelled the Browse Mole Report is that it was meant to destabilise the country.

The JSCI contended that while there were numerous circumstantial aspects to the report which were true (such as the meeting held by MK veterans), these events were laced with provocative and baseless allegations.

What does it mean for Pikoli

Vusi Pikoli was suspended in September 2007 ostensibly for an "irretrievable breakdown of trust" between himself and Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla. However, since then, the State has added further complaints against him to the charge, including his handling of the Browse Mole matter.

The State contends that Pikoli is incompetent based on his poor handling of the Browse Mole Report, which created a rift between security agencies and led to disingenuous allegations entering the public domain.

Pikoli, who lays much of the blame with McCarthy, insists that he refused to authorise any preliminary investigation into the claims contained in the report and that he instructed McCarthy to co-operate with the NIA.