Africa-Press – South-Africa. A secret witness has told the state capture inquiry an official in former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser’s office withdrew R19 million in cash for the ANC national conference in December 2017.
The witness, only identified as Ms. K for her safety, told the commission of inquiry into state capture on Friday the SSA’s “Project Veza” was investigating the office manager in Fraser’s office, whose pseudonym is Helen.
Ms. K, the project manager of “Project Veza”, which is probing widespread looting at the SSA, is testifying at the commission to corroborate the evidence of another of the agency’s officials, identified only as Mr. Y.
Mr. Y was scheduled to testify this week, but was unable to because he had recently come out of a coma. According to Mr. Y’s evidence, the R19m in cash was withdrawn by the office manager in Fraser’s office on December 15, 2017, the eve of the ANC’s five-day national conference at which President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected the governing party’s leader.
Ms. K said the withdrawal was the subject of an investigation by the “Project Veza” team. She said out of the R19m, R5m was paid to a person identified in a handwritten note as “kingmaker”.
The commission also heard Fraser’s office had operational activities that may have related to the ANC national elective conference held at Nasrec.
Ms. K said witness reports placed SSA members in the vicinity of the conference, including former chief directorate: special operations (CDSO), co-workers and members of the then newly configured support unit and other operational structures.
It was during this period the office manager in Fraser’s office withdrew the R19m in cash, she said.
“It’s not peculiar or irregular for the SSA, I mean the legitimate structures, to have a presence at an ANC elective conference.”
Ms. K said special events were managed by the SSA in a supportive role.
”What stands out for me, CDSO had been closed in 2016 or early 2017 and most of the CDSO members, especially the co-workers, had to go home and they remain unplaced even today,” she said.
Ms. K continues to give evidence.
