By the Editorial Board of National Security News Phillip van Niekerk’s Right of Reply (BizNews, 03 September 2025) dismisses our reporting (“MTN’s man in Washington DC”) as a “black ops” and an “apartheid smear campaign.” However, Mr van Niekerk’s rebuttal says everything our readers need to know about him. Mr van Niekerk admits that the core facts of our reporting are accurate – he does indeed have an undisclosed role as a paid MTN consultant in Washington DC. Mr van Niekerk denies he has been collecting intelligence for MTN in Washington DC, but admits he is an “analyst” who, in…

By Staff Writer The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted a series of questions to the South African Parliament concerning the activities of business intelligence consultant Phillip Van Niekerk, his firm Calabar Africa, and related engagements involving MTN and government entities. Presidency Minister of State Security Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) These questions are directed at the Presidency, the Minister of State Security, and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The DA has requested disclosure of all contracts, remuneration, meetings, and surveillance activities involving Van Niekerk, Calabar Africa, and the Vogel Group since 2021.

By Staff Writer The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted extensive questions in the South African Parliament regarding the growing scandal in Washington DC centred on the activities of business intelligence consultant Phillip Van Niekerk and his lobbying and research firm, Calabar Africa. The DA has asked the President, the Minister of International Relations, and the Minister of Intelligence for urgent clarification of their relationships with Van Niekerk, Calabar Africa, and his business partner, former South African diplomat Andrew Nhlapo, in Washington DC. According to a former South African diplomat, Van Niekerk and Nhlapo regularly brief visiting ANC ministers at the…

By Staff Writer Microsoft Corporation has become the first of the global technology giants to join the World Nuclear Association (WNA), marking a pivotal step for nuclear power, which the company recognises as essential to its carbon-free energy strategy. The move highlights nuclear’s critical role in powering the AI-driven digital economy while supplying reliable, carbon-free electricity to modern data centres. The announcement coincides with the 50th World Nuclear Symposium in London. Microsoft will also participate in the WNA’s Energy Users Summit, exploring partnerships and opportunities with the nuclear and broader energy-intensive sectors. Microsoft’s energy commitments: The company’s initiatives will be led…

By Staff Writer MTN’s paid consultant in Washington DC straddles the line between opinion writing and influence operations, raising questions about disclosure and national security. Journalism without disclosure The boundaries between journalism, lobbying and foreign corporate influence are increasingly blurred. Few cases illustrate this more starkly than that of Phillip van Niekerk, a former South African journalist turned Washington-based consultant. Through his firm, Calabar Africa, van Niekerk advises MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecom operator and parent of MTN Dubai, which holds a 49 per cent stake in MTN Irancell — a joint venture with sanctioned Iranian shareholders tied to the…

By Isabella Egerton The UK and European Union have summoned senior Russian diplomats after overnight Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv killed at least 18 people, including four children, and left dozens more injured. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the strikes, which damaged the British Council offices in Kyiv, as “the killing and destruction of civilians, children and cultural institutions.” The Russian ambassador in London has been summoned. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the assault showed President Vladimir Putin was “sabotaging hopes of peace” and accused him of “killing children and civilians.” In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief…

By Sean Rayment The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is reportedly receiving 24/7 protection from armed Austrian security units following death threats from Iran. Rafael Grossi has been placed under the protection of Austria’s Cobra special forces unit, which is responsible for safeguarding top officials, including the country’s chancellor, and countering major threats such as terrorism. The International Atomic Energy Agency, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, serves as the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog. “We can confirm that Austria provided a Cobra unit, but we cannot confirm where the specific threat came from,” IAEA spokesman Fredrik Dahl told the Wall…

By Isabella Egerton The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and four companies linked to him, accusing them of fuelling Tehran’s overseas operations and contributing to instability in Ukraine, Israel, and the wider Middle East. The measures, announced by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), include an asset freeze, travel ban, and director disqualification on Shamkhani, alongside asset freezes and director disqualifications on Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC), Admiral Group, Ocean Leonid Investments, and Milavous Group. The designations were made under the Iran Sanctions Regulations (2023). “The UK is announcing sanctions against those who…

By Sean Rayment One of Britain’s most senior intelligence officials has warned the government that the sale of Thames Water to a Chinese-controlled company could pose a risk to national security. Sir Simon Gass, who served as chairman of the government’s Joint Intelligence Committee until two years ago, said proposals to hand Thames Water over to the Hong Kong-based infrastructure firm CKI required “close scrutiny from a national security perspective”. He cautioned that any takeover could give the Chinese authorities access to customer data across London, including that of individuals working in “key and sometimes sensitive positions across government”. The…

By André Pienaar Australia’s intelligence community has squarely identified Iranian state-sponsored antisemitic terrorist attacks in Australia, highlighting Tehran’s growing global terrorist threat—and underscoring the urgent need for collective defence by the democracies. This follows the United Kingdom’s designation of Iran as its highest national security threat earlier this year, combined with an unprecedented 14-nation joint intelligence warning about the threat of Iranian terrorism to democracies. When Australia revealed on 26 August 2025 that Iran had directed violent attacks on Jewish targets in Sydney and Melbourne, it confirmed what many had suspected: Tehran is waging a global terrorist war against democratic nations.…

By Ben Farmer Republican heavyweights are increasing calls for Donald Trump to recognise a breakaway statelet on the Horn of Africa as an ally against Chinese influence. The head of the Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee has become the latest MAGA figure to call for Washington to recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state and potentially gain a new base at the entrance to the Red Sea. Texas senator Ted Cruz has written to Mr Trump, praising Somaliland as a “critical security and diplomatic partner for the United States” and urging full recognition. Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991,…

By Sean Rayment Hundreds of US veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan along with families of those killed in combat are taking legal action against a telecommunications company accused of paying protection money to insurgents. More than 500 American families and their lawyers claim MTN Group, South Africa’s largest telecom operator, paid off gunmen in both Iraq and Afghanistan so the company could operate unhindered by insurgent attacks. Lawyers representing US families and wounded veterans claim the protection money was used to buy weapons and ammunition which was subsequently used to attack members of the US armed…