'Superspy' Thulani Dlomo's arrest is a major win for justice

The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption has moved closer to holding State Capture accused to account with the arrest this week of the man once known as Jacob Zuma's 'superspy'. By Marianne Thamm

- Marianne Thamm

Thulani Dlomo, former deputy director of counterintelligence in the State Security Agency (SSA) and a former ambassador to Japan, and Patrick Mshothola, project manager of the Directorate of Special Operations (DSO), have been arrested and charged with theft, fraud, forgery and uttering involving about R12-million.

Dlomo and Mshotholo appeared in the specialised commercial crimes court in Pretoria on Monday, 1 December, after they were arrested by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac).

The matter was postponed to 26 January and the accused were granted bail of R20,000 each.

The so-called superspy was recalled by President Cyril Ramaphosa after a high-level panel that reviewed the intelligence services made damnning findings, which were released in 2018.

Dlomo operated variously under the supervision of former SSA director-general Arthur Fraser, who is still to face charges, and former minister of state security David Mahlobo, now an ANC deputy minister.

The Zondo Commission’s final report found that Mahlobo “not only involved himself in operations, but also directed them”.

These operations included Project Wave, an attempt to infiltrate the media, as well as other covert operations to spy on NGOs, the judiciary and students. They were described as “projects approved by the minister”.

The Zondo Commission heard that Project Veza, an investigation into the SSA’s operations from 2012 to 2018, found that various projects initiated by Dlomo and the DSO “were established in breach of the SSA’s policy and regulatory prescripts”. They included illegal surveillance and the unaccounted squandering of public funding to the amount of about R1.5-billion.