Durban - Speaking out for the first time since he came back from his ambassadorial position in Japan in February, elusive spy Thulani Dlomo said it is not true that he is in hiding and he absconded work.
After months of media reports that claimed recently fired head of counterintelligence at the State Security Agency (SSA) was untraceable, we were able to locate him and he revealed his next move.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Independent Media in a secret location on Thursday, he said he was in touch with his employer the moment he came back and the reason why he did not go to work was because he was not well. He said he forwarded sick notes to the Department of State Security to alert them about his medical condition.
Speaking through his attorney, Philani Shangase of Shangase AP and Associates, Dlomo said he was going to challenge the dismissal in court because it was unfair and unlawful.
Shangase lamented that while the department claimed to the media that it has fired Dlomo and it could not serve him with the letter of dismissal, that was not true.
Shangase claimed that when he contacted the department for about Dlomo’s medical aid that was recently stopped, he was told his client has been fired.
“They said they have attached the dismissal letter in their responding email but the letter was not there. I alerted them about that and on October 21 (2019) they said I must send them another email address because they suspect the one they were using was unable to open the attachment and I did that. Several days later, I am yet to receive that purported letter of dismissal.
“For us to go to court, we need that termination letter. We need that letter because we cannot take the matter to court without it… we don’t know the basis for the termination at this stage because we haven't received the letter. But we suspect that they going be saying may be he has absconded work but he has got medical evidence he has been sending to the office of deputy minister, Zizi Kodwa,” Shangase said on behalf of Dlomo, who was sitting in on the interview.
Dlomo was wearing black from head to toe and disguised himself by wearing large dark sunglasses and a black hat. He was on high alert and occasionally scanned the vicinity during the interview.
Shangase said the only letter they have from the department was the one why they stopped his medical aid benefits.
The spokesperson of the Department of State Security Mava Scott said he had to check with the department first before responding to questions about the matter.
Shangase also revealed that he was representing Dlomo at the Durban Labour Court where they had dragged the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for the recall as SA’s ambassador to Japan.
He alleged that when Dlomo was recalled, DIRCO claimed that it was "restructuring" and he was asked to move back to state security as he was a seconded diplomat.
“We are waiting for a court date to argue the matter because we believe it was an unfair dismissal,” Shangase said.
The spokesperson of the DIRCO, Clayson Monyela, said they cannot disclose their reason for recalling Dlomo as they don’t discuss employee-employer issues with outsiders.