Governments spy on groups and individuals – inside or outside of their borders – who speak out against or threaten the power of the ruling political and economic elite. This use of a country’s intelligence services serve a small section of the population: the rich and powerful. During apartheid and the democratic era, South African journalists, academics and activists have been targets for government interception and espionage. The point of such espionage can be to gather intelligence to interfere with the activities of such groups or individuals, or even to silence them entirely through measures such as imprisonment or assassination.