'PROJECT JUSTICE': THE BRIBERY OF JUDGES BY THE STATE SECURITY AGENCY, AND POLITICAL INTERFERENCE BY CERTAIN PRESIDENTS TO CORRUPTLY MANIPULATE AND INFLUENCE CERTAIN JUDGES
July 2026
On 24 May 2026, former State Security Agency ('SSA') Director-General Arthur Fraser was interviewed by investigative journalist Mzilikazi wa Africa inter alia about judicial corruption in South Africa, detailed in his affidavit submitted to the State Capture Commission, but which its chairman then-Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo strangely disregarded.
Here's a transcript of the material part of the interview (from 1 hour 8 minutes 55 seconds into the video linked above):
---
Q: I remember someone gave me the copy of the statement you submitted at the
Zondo Commission. You wanted to go and expose certain judges of being on the
payroll.
A: No, you see I had indicated that there are Presidents, I know of Presidents that had done things that feeds into this narrative where there's
a corrupt relationship or manipulative relationship. I've also spoken about
judges, and it also relates to money and external influences, you know, and
but the documents I showed was going to assist the commission to make a
determination if what I was presenting would actually expose the
actual rot we have in our system.
Q: More especially the judicial.
A: Yes.
Q: So if we've got at least six judges in the judiciary who are on the take.
A: Mmm.
Q: Is it not worrisome?
A: It has to be. But ... Zondo has to
account why he was disinterested in knowing that.
Q: Who are these six judges.
A: When he is the Deputy Chief Justice.
Q: And when you are saying, I can come and help you, I've got the
information that will identify the judges and how they’re getting paid, but
you get ignored, what do you make of that?
A: No, it's just what I'm saying, I just think Zondo got trapped in a
project that he willingly complied with.
---
Namely an essentially political 'project', directed by one ANC faction against another.
Fraser further alleged during his interview that Judge Zondo had been 'absolutely dishonest' in claiming he'd not applied to testify, when in truth his legal team had spent three days at the Commission trying to get him a hearing. Indeed, Fraser said, he'd attempted to submit extensive documentary evidence, including and especially about judicial corruption; that his requests to declassify certain documents proving his allegations were deliberately frustrated; and that he was denied the right to cross-examine witnesses who'd wrongly implicated him, leading Judge Zondo to recommend he be criminally investigated. And he charged that in acting with such 'basic dishonesty' Judge Zondo 'singehandedly brought the judiciary into disrepute'.
On 26 January 2021, then-Acting SSA DG Loyiso Jafta had testified before the State Capture Commission about 'Project Justice', a rogue SSA operation to bribe unnamed judges for factional political ends, at least one of whom Jafta said was suspected on strong circumstantial grounds of having indeed been so bribed.
Jafta's evidence in this regard was corroborated by former Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi, who'd recently chaired a high-level review of the SSA, and who also testified before the commission. And by other witnesses as well. (The Minister of State Security reportedly tried to prevent Jafta giving this evidence, came out denying it, and sacked him soon afterwards.)
Former SSA DG Fraser's counsel, Muzi Sikhakane SC, told Commission chairman Zondo DCJ that Fraser has the names of these corrupt judges; see this video clip, 1 min 50 sec in.
In his Commission's report, chairman Zondo CJ (as he now was) accepted as true the evidence of multiple witnesses regarding this project to bribe judges, including about the many millions of rands physically delivered in hard cash to then-State Security Minister David Mahlobo for this crooked purpose, which he personally counted out by him in his home study.
Independent Online
reported: 'Between R1.2 million and R4.5m was taken from the SSA and
allegedly hand-delivered to David Mahlobo, who was reported to be the person
directly making onward payments as part of Operation Justice, according to
evidence presented at the commission. Ms K said one of the implicated
individuals confirmed that she had personally delivered R4.5m to Mahlobo’s
office on at least three occasions. She said Frank, a pseudonym, confirmed
he was instructed to deliver money regularly to Mahlobo for Project Justice
starting at R1.3m but extending upward to R21.8m.'
No clear evidence was presented as to which judges
were corrupted in this way -- and obviously so since Mahlobo, doing the
bribing, baldly
denied
everything -- but as said, former SSA Director General Arthur Fraser told
Commission chairman Zondo DCJ through his counsel, and later investigative journalist Wa Africa, that he has the
judges' names.
You'll not be terribly surprised in a country as corrupt as ours to learn that in August
2021, a few months after all the terrible evidence given against Mahlobo at the
State Capture Commission, President
Ramaphosa had no compunction about appointing him as Deputy Minister of
Water and Sanitation (a new Department, bifurcated from the old one to which
Ramaphosa had appointed him as one of two Deputy Ministers in May 2019).
Which Deputy Cabinet Minister appointment Mahlobo enjoys to this day -- in
the teeth of Zondo CJ's
finding in his State Capture Commission's final report that he 'did
indeed involve himself in operational matters at the SSA, and further that
large amounts of cash were delivered to him on several occasions' for
which the evidence 'is overwhelming', and a matter for 'law
enforcement agencies [which] should conduct further investigations
with a view to the NPA possibly bringing criminal charges against ... David
Mahlobo ... in regard to SSA cash received'.
Which means Mahlobo lied to then-Deputy Chief Justice Zondo on oath in
falsely denying receiving this money. And that he'd either (a) proceeded to
implement Project Justice by bribing judges with the millions in cash he'd
been given for this purpose, which now-Chief Justice Zondo found in his
final report he'd indeed been paid, or (b) pocketed these millions in public
funds, which is to say stole them.
Here are material
excerpts from the transcript of the evidence of State Security Agency Acting
Director General Loyiso Jafta to the State Capture Commission on 26 January
2021. Key bits from it:
---
ADV PAUL PRETORIUS SC: This evidence may yet be forthcoming but we do not
have it as yet, but in relation to the most recent questions and answers this
afternoon and by way of example Project Justice, we were told by Dr Mufamadi
that there was no evidence that the money allocated for the project reached
its final destination to put it bluntly bribery of judges. The question is
why do we not know that? Or do we know that and it is just too sensitive a
matter to place before the Chair? And either could be logically an
explanation.
---
Here are
highlighted material excerpts concerning the SSA's 'Project Justice' to
bribe judges in Zondo CJ's
complete
report on the SSA, delivered to the President on
12 June 2022.
The
SSA has never followed through on its alleged 'investigations' of these crooked judges.
(Notice Jafta's contradictory claims that they were 'on-going'
(i.e. currently on the go) versus 'unavoidable' (i.e. contemplated 'at
some point' in the
future).) Certainly we've heard nothing more about this since Jafta testified.
The Judicial Service Commission ('JSC') itself has shown no interest in finding out who
these corrupt judges are, and in exposing them and getting them tried,
impeached, removed from the bench, and jailed. Because likewise we've heard nothing from
the JSC since Jafta's evidence.
What's worse, the JSC is unlawfully
blocking a request
for access to records made under the Promotion of Access to Information Act
('PAIA') probing the matter. And the Information Regulator couldn't care less.
(Hit same link.)
But then what do you expect with
a guy as phenomenally corrupt as current Deputy Chief Justice Dunstan Mlambo
chairing the JSC's Judicial Conduct Committee ('JCC')?
Reader, in view of Mlambo DCJ's documented predeliction for criminal
mendacity
(recognised by JCC Appeal Committee
members Constitutional Court Justice Elizabeth Nkabinde (ret.) and
Supreme Court of Appeal Justice Ephraim Makgoka, who recommended he be tried on four criminal counts
of this); his breathtaking
corruption over the decades at the intersection of his
personal-professional life;
and his
fantastically
corrupt relationship
with that other notorious unconvicted criminal, President Cyril Ramaphosa (headed
at last for impeachment
and removal from office thanks to former SSA DG Arthur Fraser's whistleblowing on the Phala Phala affair), what's your bet that Mlambo DCJ is one of those corrupt judges
whom Fraser has the goods on?
But who the State Capture Commission so conspicuously didn't want to expose, because such judicial corruption
is just too 'sensitive' for public consumption.
Who the SSA has never revealed to us,
after conducting its alleged 'investigations'.
And who the JSC is protecting by crassly
illegally and unconstitutionally refusing to comply with a PAIA request
looking into what steps it took, if any, to identify the corrupt judges
that Jafta testified about, and who these corrupt judges are.
***
MR JAFTA: Chair the – that in respect to that specific example we have – we
have very strong circumstantial evidence. What we do not know, what we do
not have, and it is because – let me not go into that – because Chair we have
very strong circumstantial evidence that some of the money went into the
hands of some of the members or a member of the judiciary. But I do not have
sitting here now is absolute concrete evidence of that. Remember Chair all
of these things that we are talking to and I am sure you might hear, I do not
know who else is coming here. We are talking about cash transactions, it is
money that gets delivered to A and A delivers it to B.
CHAIRPERSON: And there is no receipt.
...
CHAIRPERSON: You said the strong circumstantial evidence that you I
guess are aware of in pointing towards some money having been given to a
member of the judiciary.
MR JAFTA: Yes.
CHAIRPERSON: Can – would it be fair to say to the extent that Project
Justice seems to have talked about judges you are not aware of any other
case involving a member of the judiciary where there seems to be some strong
evidence? In other words were you aware of strong and you emphasise
circumstantial is it not? It is in respect of one.
MR JAFTA: Absolutely Chair.
CHAIRPERSON: So that is the position?
MR JAFTA: Yes.
CHAIRPERSON: Okay. Mr Pretorius.
ADV PRETORIUS SC: Are you satisfied then that the circumstantial evidence
that you have has been fully investigated? Have you asked the judge
concerned?
MR JAFTA: No, no we have not. We have not asked the judge.
ADV PRETORIUS SC: Do you intend to do so? Have you investigated the judge?
MR JAFTA: It is unavoidable that we have to at some point.
ADV PRETORIUS SC: So investigations are on-going?
MR JAFTA: Investigations are on-going.
ADV PRETORIUS SC: Well then I will not ask my further question because that
may disrupt those investigations.