A former South African Air Force brigadier general has been sentenced to six months in a United States federal prison after admitting to acting as an unregistered agent for South Africa while working at one of America’s most sensitive scientific research facilities.
Portia Anyamba, 59, who had been living in Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on 17 June 2026 by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee after pleading guilty to federal offences linked to national security.
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Anyamba admitted that she acted on behalf of the Republic of South Africa without notifying the US Attorney General, as required under American law.
She also pleaded guilty to making false statements while applying for a US government security clearance.
In addition to the six-month prison sentence, the court ordered two years of supervised release and imposed a fine of $9,500.
Anyamba’s case centred on her employment between 2023 and 2024 as a Program Management Operational Specialist in the National Security Program Office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee.
The laboratory, operated for the US Department of Energy, traces its origins to the Manhattan Project during World War II and today conducts advanced research in artificial intelligence, energy technologies, supercomputing and national security.
Oak Ridge is regarded as one of the United States’ most strategically important scientific institutions.
FBI investigation uncovered undisclosed foreign links
The investigation was led jointly by the FBI’s Nashville Field Office and the Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
Federal investigators concluded that Anyamba operated under the direction and control of the South African government while residing in the United States.
Court records stated that she maintained ongoing contact with an intelligence officer from South Africa’s State Security Agency (SSA), identified only as “IO-1”, who had previously served in senior intelligence roles at the South African Embassy in Washington, DC.
In February 2024, FBI agents monitored a meeting involving Anyamba, the intelligence officer and another individual linked to the South African government. The group met at a Knoxville restaurant before continuing discussions at a nearby hotel.
Later that year, on 7 November 2024, FBI agents intercepted Anyamba before another planned meeting and seized a laptop computer she was carrying.
At the same time, prosecutors said she was seeking a US government security clearance that would have granted access to classified information.
Authorities alleged that she falsely stated on the mandatory SF-86 security questionnaire that she had no ongoing contact with foreign nationals or foreign government representatives during the previous seven years.
Officials stress importance of protecting national security
US Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said safeguarding Oak Ridge National Laboratory remained a national security priority because of the sensitive research conducted at the facility.
He said government employees entrusted with classified information must be honest, transparent and reliable.
FBI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said Anyamba knowingly acted on behalf of a foreign government, placing US national security interests at risk.
Meanwhile, Department of Energy Deputy Director of Counterintelligence Joshua D. Martineau said the successful prosecution demonstrated the value of close cooperation between federal law enforcement agencies and counterintelligence teams responsible for protecting critical research facilities.
South African publication Daily Maverick sought comment from Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi following the sentencing. He responded that the government had “no comment.”
Source: Adapted from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee and Daily Maverick.