Spies assigned to protect former President Jacob Zuma by the State Security Agency (SSA) allegedly smuggled high-calibre assault rifles and pistols into Lesotho using his presidential jet in order to protect then Prime Minister Tom Thabane and Gupta family interests after the Lesotho Defence Force had attempted to overthrow the government.

A Sunday Times report notes Thabane enjoyed a close relationship with Zuma; so close that in August 2014 he hired Zuma's friend Atul Gupta as his special adviser to market Lesotho in the Middle East.

He issued Atul, his family’s business partner Salim Essa and another associate with diplomatic passports.

At the time, Thabane said Zuma introduced him to the Guptas and he hired them ‘to help scout for investment’. However, notes the report, it emerged in the Gupta Leaks in 2017 that the Guptas and Essa planned to take over Lesotho's Mothae diamond mine and fund Thabane’s 2015 re-election campaign. Recently declassified SSA documents placed before the State Capture Commission allege that members of the SSA's Central Directorate for Special Operations (CDSO), led by the former head of counter-intelligence and ambassador to Japan Thulani Dlomo, smuggled the weapons into Lesotho using Zuma’s presidential jet when Zuma headed to the country to broker a peace deal.

‘There are also indications that, in September 2014, (SSA) armoury officials were instructed by Ambassador Dlomo, through Johan (an agent's code name), to transport firearms including four R4 rifles and six pistols to a foreign country for unclear reasons. These were reportedly flown in the presidential aircraft. This coincided with a coup d'etat in that country,’ reads an affidavit deposed by an SSA official known as Mr Y.

‘Though the firearms were reportedly not used ... CDSO members were seen there in the presence of Ambassador Dlomo.’

Mr Y, whose identity was sealed, submitted the affidavit after the commission asked the SSA for information regarding allegations of corruption and fraud.

Mr Y was part of the SSA’s investigating team under Project Veza, which investigated financial irregularities and unlawful operations of parallel intelligence structures within the agency, says the Sunday Times report.

The allegations about the guns on the presidential plane were confirmed by another unidentified SSA operative, referred to as Ms K at the commission.

An SSA insider and a former intelligence operative reportedly both told the Sunday Times that the arms were smuggled into Lesotho to protect Thabane and the Gupta family’s interests.

‘Even though those weapons were not used, it was a criminal act to smuggle arms into Lesotho in a presidential jet and there is no reason for supposed presidential protectors to have been carrying those high-calibre firearms. This is the criminal element that law enforcement needs to investigate,’ said the insider.

First Sunday Times report