State Security Agency went rogue under Zuma

The Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture continued hearing State Security Agency (SSA) related matters on Thursday (January 28), with ‘Miss K’ giving evidence from an undisclosed location.

K, whose identity is protected, is a member of the SSA’s Veza investigation team, which is involved in ongoing investigations of a sensitive nature.

Evidence leader Paul Pretorius SC gave an overview of the evidence to be led. An affidavit had been deposed by Y, who is recovering from a coma and is seriously indisposed. K has personal knowledge of what Y has deposed in his affidavit. Pretorius would read excerpts from Y’s affidavit to be confirmed by K, if she agreed.

Origin of Project Veza

K confirmed that she agreed with Y’s version of events as set out in his testimony:

• An internal investigation of the SSA called Project Momentum was initiated in June 2018 to address allegations of corruption within the SSA. Limited progress was made because of challenges in accessing information.

• Acting Director-General Loyiso Jafta relaunched the investigation on December 5, 2018 under Project Veza. The project was mandated to investigate irregularities and criminality arising from the SSA operational and governance prescripts during the period 2012 to 2018.

• The investigation focused on various units within the SSA, specifically on the projects carried out by the Chief Directorate Special Operations (CDSO), such as the covert operational structure within the SSA and also the support unit run from the office of the director-general (DG).

Veza investigation team established unlawfulness

K agreed with Y’s affidavit that the Veza team had established that the CDSO fell outside the lawful mandate of the SSA, did not follow prescribed procedures, and ignored governance, financial and operational directives of the SSA.

K confirmed that the “abuse of SSA’s mandate occurred primarily under the political leadership of [three former state security ministers] Siyabonga Cwele, David Mahlobo and Advocate Bongani Bongo, and was executed or implemented primarily although not exclusively by [former SSA special operations unit boss] Moruti Nosi, Ambassador Thulani Dlomo, Ambassador [Gladys] Sonto Kudjoe, and [former SSA director-general] Arthur Fraser”.

Structural changes

On December 27 2011, Cwele approved the following structural changes:

• Relocation of the CDSO under the authority of the deputy-director of domestic intelligence to the deputy-director of counterintelligence.
• Relocation of the Cover Support Unit from the office of the Director SSA, domestic branch, to the office of the deputy-director, counterintelligence.
• Establishment of the Directorate Presidential Security Support within the existing CDSO.

This occurred shortly before Ambassador Dlomo’s appointment as general manager, special operations in January 2012. A year later, Dlomo was appointed deputy director, counterintelligence. In short, Dlomo became head of this amalgamated organisation.

The motivation given for the restructure was the “immediately identifiable deficiencies” in security that left former president Jacob Zuma “vulnerable to all sorts of threats”.

The security threat had not been identified.

(Per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.)

Further restructuring under Dlomo

The timelines of the restructuring within the SSA to centralise control for counterintelligence operations under Dlomo “was a plan in the making long before he was officially appointed in January 2012″.

“The groundwork for this restructured and repurposed CDSO was laid by Dlomo in 2008 and 2009 with the recruitment and training of his co-workers* who would subsequently be deployed on presidents projects as the SSA”.

* Co-worker was used interchangeably with source or agent.

K testified that “these people were given contracts, but when we analysed those contacts no one signed on behalf of the SSA … I don’t think they were formally employed by the SSA”.

These ‘co-workers’ were given access to SSA funds, resources, and firearms.

Dlomo facilitated the compilation of contracts with the co-workers, their placement in the CDSO, as well as submissions relating to their payment

(Per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.) 

The consequences of the structural changes

• The infiltration into the SSA by ‘co-workers’ who bypassed official training and vetting processes.

• The overreach of the duly authorised mandate of the SSA.

• The illegal activities carried out by a parallel counterintelligence structure under the guise of covert operations.

• Executive interference in operational activities.

• The rampant looting of SSA funds.

• The illegal use of SSA firearms.

“Under Dlomo’s watch the CDSO engaged in exponential overspending and flouted the SSA’s financial operations and HR directives through covert mechanisms and illegal contracts.”

(Per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.) 

Presidential handbook

The Presidential handbook:

• Sets out in detail the various administrative, logistical, general support and security support services to be rendered to the president, the deputy president, and their spouses and children.
• Outlines that the responsibility for the president’s medical and health care resides with the Surgeon General and the South African Military and Health Services unit of the SA National Defence Force.

The SA Police Service (SAPS) is obliged to take full responsibility for the protection and security of the president and deputy president, with the intelligence services providing regular comprehensive security assessments.

The security and protection measures include regular security assessments, in conjunction with the other intelligence agencies, protection at all residences and private accommodation, static protection during all domestic and international movements, regular medical vetting of all security and protective staff, screening of service providers, static protection of aircraft, and regular revision of ICT systems.

(Summarised per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.) 

Parallel the presidential security support service

Notwithstanding the medical and support services provided by the SAPS, the SSA established a directorate for presidential support security to perform exactly the same functions.

The formal support documentation outlining the parallel presidential security support service provided by the SSA included protective services, cyber security, technical surveillance countermeasures, and toxicology. (Per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.)

A discrete force was formed which reported directly to Dlomo. K testified that even though she had not seen proof, “some of the people who were involved in some of the projects did indicate they were reporting directly to Zuma”.

Essentially, Zuma benefitted from an additional personal security service which was wholly financed by the SSA. (Per Y’s affidavit and affirmed by K.)

Toxicology unit

The toxicology unit was established in 2012 in the CDSO under the management of Dlomo.

There are no indications that this unit was established legitimately, nor does this organisation exist in any official records.

Dlomo, in conjunction with a non-SSA member, Dr Mandisa Mokwena, and a foreign international development agency for food safety and security, were involved in the recruitment and training of individuals in the toxicology environment to capacitate the toxicology unit.

The CDSO toxicology unit’s laboratory, complete with a vivarium (an ‘indoor enclosure’ for ‘any living animal’), was established in an SSA safehouse in Waterkloof.

K agreed with Y’s affidavit that there was “a double dipping of funds, as members of the toxicology unit reported to the Directorate for Presidential Security Support for their travelling funds, subsistence and travel allowance and accommodation costs, while funds were also paid to Project Khusela as part of the CDSO operational 20 expenditure”.

The leader of the toxicology unit had used her own company to receive R1.8 million a month in cash to disburse “operational funds from the SSA for this project”.

Y’s affidavit stated: “Members of the toxicology unit were deployed in line with the other Presidential Security Support Services such as technical, surveillance countermeasures, PSCM [procurement and supply chain management] to all areas that the president would be exposed to both internationally and domestically.

“They were responsible for checking rooms, kitchens and dining spaces that would be occupied by the president but not the presidential aircraft. In one document Ambassador Dlomo is cited as a donor to the establishment of the toxicology units and referred to as Chief.”

K agreed that the toxicology unit established under SSA had had little impact since its establishment in 2012 (presumably until 2018). K explained that there was a legitimate toxicology unit under the SSA and another one under the control of CDSO.

The commission will continue with the hearing based on Y’s affidavit. Only 25 pages of Y’s 80-page affidavit have been dealt with.