The only common connection between the state security agency (SSA), the mid-March break-in at the Constitutional Court, and the case of the SSA break-in last year, and Pretoria attorney Sammy Mahlangu is the township of Mamelodi, just outside of Pretoria.
This is the answer that Mahlangu gave to News24 when they inquired why he seems to be getting involved in all of these cases involving the spy agency. He has emerged as the legal representative of Nkosinathi Moses Msimango, the man arrested on Friday in connection with the theft of 15 computers at the chief justice's offices.
Msimango handed himself over at the Boschkop police station. Just before he was arrested, he said to The Times that he was completely innocent.
"All I can say is that I am here to clear my name. I have no idea why my name was mentioned. The commissioner must tell me why he wants to talk to me," he said.
"He lives close to where I live in Mamelodi, that is how I happened to become his lawyer," said Mahlangu.
Both Mahlangu and Msimango denied any connections to the spies. The break-in at the CJ's Midrand offices followed close after a crushing judgement against the social development minister Bathabile Dlamini for her incompetent handling of the social grants crisis. This alignment of events have led to speculation that dark elements of the state could have been behind the break-in.
Business Day reported that Msimango was apparently receiving protection from "elements in the state security services".
"Mahlangu, who assured News24 that his client was in no way connected to the country's intelligence structures, recently represented another man who was accused of being the mastermind behind the theft of R17 million in foreign currency from the SSA's head office in Pretoria in December 2015. The Hawks labelled the crime as an "inside job" and two SSA employees -- William Mmotong and Khayalethu Mgatyelwa -- were later charged alongside Mahlangu's client, Albert Ramabele. The charges against all three men have since been dropped," reported News24.