Johannesburg - The State Security Agency's protection services protocols were not followed when former SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni was provided with personal security, the Zondo commission heard.
The inquiry on Wednesday heard from an SSA official who is testifying in-camera to protect his identity and the position he holds at the agency. Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo granted "Mr Y's" application to have his identity hidden.
My Y explained that when Thulani Dhlomo was appointed in 2012 as the head of the SSA's Directorate of Special Operations he changed the unit's mandate. The unit ran parallel to former president Jacob Zuma's protection services.
He explained that one of the consequences of this change led to several people, who could be seen as Zuma's supporters, were granted security services by the SSA.
One such individual was Myeni.
Myeni, who has been largely seen as a controversial figure, chaired the SAA board and had previously held several positions in state-owned enterprises. She has a close relationship with Zuma and chairs the Jacob Zuma Foundation.
Mr Y explained there was no evidence of any paperwork being submitted which motivated or justified for Myeni's high-level protection.
"We have found no paperwork of a request or instruction from within the agency. When we first got sight of this it was from the high-level review report when we found that a group of agents were allocated to specific people, including Miss Myeni and other political figures, who could be seen as supporters of former president Jacob Zuma and would not be eligible for official protection from SAPS," Mr Y explained.
Mr Y explained that lapses in the protocol were found during the SSA's high-level review panel investigation.
The panel was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2018. Its mandate was to assess the structure of SSA and its function and whether it should be reconfigured.
The panel released its report in 2019 and recommend the SSA should be split into two units. It found widespread factionalism within the agency and political interference.
Mr Y will continue with his testimony on Thursday.