Project Wave was the SSA's operation to capture South Africa's media — spending R48 million of taxpayer money to bribe journalists, infiltrate newsrooms, and shape public discourse in favour of the Zuma regime.
**The Operation**
Project Wave was one of the unlawful covert operations run through the CDSO under Thulani Dlomo, under the political direction of Minister David Mahlobo. It was established alongside Projects Mayibuye, Justice, and Construcao as part of the SSA's campaign to protect the Zuma presidency through extra-legal means.
The project's core objective was media capture: bribing journalists to produce favourable coverage, suppressing critical reporting, and placing pro-Zuma content across South Africa's media landscape.
**R20 Million to ANA**
The largest single payment was R20 million to the African News Agency (ANA), part of Iqbal Surve's Independent Media group. This payment was personally signed off by DG Arthur Fraser — a fact confirmed by Zondo Commission evidence. The Mail & Guardian reported that Fraser's personal authorisation of the ANA payment was documented in SSA records.
ANA provided content to multiple media outlets, making this payment a particularly effective form of narrative capture: by paying one content provider, the SSA could influence coverage across multiple publications.
**Broader Media Infiltration**
Project Wave's R48 million budget funded approaches to multiple media houses and individual journalists. Testimony to the Zondo Commission revealed that some media houses refused the approaches while others "demanded too much money." This suggests the operation was widespread — the R48 million represented what was actually spent, not the full scope of attempted media capture.
The Project Veza investigators ("Ms K" and "Mr Y") provided detailed testimony to the Zondo Commission in January 2021, laying out the full scope of the media infiltration operation alongside the other unlawful CDSO projects.
**Impact on Democracy**
Project Wave represents one of the most direct attacks on press freedom in South Africa's democratic era. The use of intelligence funds to bribe journalists and shape media narratives strikes at the foundation of an informed citizenry. The operation treated the media not as a pillar of democracy to be respected, but as a tool to be purchased.