South African State Security Agency Drops Bid to Bar Public From R12m Fraud Trial

The State Security Agency (SSA) has abandoned its attempt to exclude journalists and civil society from the Dlomo state capture trial, News24 reported on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The case concerns fraud amounting to R12 million, according to the outlet.

News24 described the development as a capitulation by the agency. Its earlier application had sought to keep the media and members of the public out of proceedings, with the SSA arguing that open access would put national security at risk, News24 reported.

Coverage of the dispute drew in several South African outlets. Daily Maverick reported that the agency wanted the media and public shut out of what it called a spy trial, citing intelligence concerns. Mail & Guardian reported that the media had won the right to see the SSA's secrecy application. Moneyweb, meanwhile, carried the argument that secrecy around the trial is "dangerous" for democracy.

The pushback came from two directions: news organisations seeking to report on a case of public interest, and civil society groups opposing closed proceedings. Their challenge succeeded, opening the trial to observation and reporting.

The matter sits within South Africa's broader record of state capture litigation, where questions over what the public may see have repeatedly surfaced. The SSA's position in this instance was that disclosure carried security risks; the agency has now stepped back from that stance.

What to watch next: how the trial proceeds now that it is open, and whether the SSA's reasoning on secrecy is tested again in other matters.