The Chief Directorate of Special Operations was established within the SSA in 2012 under Thulani Dlomo. It became the vehicle through which all unlawful covert projects were run: Project Wave (media bribery, R48M), Project Mayibuye (cash for Zuma, R54M/year), Project Justice (judiciary targeting), Project Academia (student movement surveillance), and others. Project Veza (the 2018 internal clean-up investigation) found R1.5 billion in irregular expenditure through the CDSO. The unit was dismantled following the Mufamadi Panel recommendations.