The ANC was on Friday yet again exposed for blurring the lines between party and the state.

This emerged during the evidence of a State Security Agency (SSA) operative testifying under the pseudonym of Dorothy at the inquiry.

According to Dorothy, the use of cash at the agency was opened up to abuse that sometimes benefited individuals who had done no work for the spy organisation.

Among these were ANC-aligned Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) members who scored more than R2m in 2016 alone.

Dorothy, between March 2014 and September 2016, was personally involved in the withdrawal of R28m from SSA coffers which was used for various missions, some  suspicious.

The first suspect payment to MK veterans that Dorothy has personal knowledge of happened in January 2016 during the ANC's anniversary celebration rally in Rustenburg.

“By instruction of Mr [Thulani] Dlomo (then SSA head of special ops), we used MK veterans who were deployed at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium to assist by identifying and reporting on potential disruptive behaviour of attendees at the event,” said Dorothy. 

“The funds were utilised to cover the expenses stipends, transport fees, accommodation and meals.”

Commission chairperson deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo expressed shock that state resources were used to fund the security measures of a political party.

The SSA would again fund the MKMVA later that year in their so-called #OccupyLuthuliHouse march.

In this regard, MKMVA members were paid a total of R1.85m from the SSA coffers to fund their antics. Once again, the instruction came from Dlomo.

Said Dorothy: “I think Mr Dlomo being the person who requested that we deploy these persons is the best person to explain what was the rationale to request MK veterans to go to Luthuli House.” 

In February 2017, Dorothy said she was given R1.5m cash to hand over to then state security minister David Mahlobo at his official residence in Cape Town.

She, however, could not say with absolute certainty that the bag that was handed to her to pass to Mahlobo contained the said amount of R1.5m.

“I do not know what the money was meant for. I was deployed to Cape Town for the Sona event. During my deployment I was instructed by Mr [Arthur] Fraser [former SSA spy boss] to receive a bag of money from one security employee of the SSA and to take the same to minister Mahlobo.

“I met the SSA member and collected the bag of money. I then handed the money to the minister Mahlobo personally at his official residence. I cannot recall if he signed for it or not.” 

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